


Wonder’s Land: The Wrath of The Plutus

by sonicravenx



Series: Wonder's Land [1]
Category: Original Work, Wonder's Land
Genre: Angst, Anime, Comic, Crossover, God - Freeform, Magic, Manga, Other, Religion, Tanashee, War, cartoon, chapter, spirituality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-02-19 09:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 58,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonicravenx/pseuds/sonicravenx
Summary: “Long ago there was a god named Plutus. He made it a personal goal to try to live with no prejudice and to help others. He would give gifts and riches to all that needed it. Despite adversity he had unwavering compassion for life. However, one day he soon lost his determination for mankind after seeing for himself how it is. He started to only use his powers selectively,still clinging on to the future he sought. Time went on, and Plutus grew so melancholy of the world that he confined himself in his temple with his selected followers, and thought to divide up his powers into a group of Gods; all to become incarnations of Plutus in his place. With using the Plutus’ powers they would be the embodiment of his aspirations. They used his power as they saw fit; as long as the world and its people stayed of value. More time went on, and Plutus became a myth leaving 12 selected God's in his place. This heavy burden they were given following in Plutus’ footsteps would be a tasking one. So much, that in of itself would be the thing that spits them all apart. This is the story of the corruption formed in the wake of the lost harmony with Gods and lesser beings, and the wrath of The Plutus.”





	1. The Test

**Author's Note:**

> -12/23/2017-  
> *This is a story to the series "Wonder's Land". This story dwells into the dimension called the Godplain. As for the story I try to explain enough of the Wonderland lore to where I believe the reader can comprehend what is going on. However, if there is references to lore that isn't touched upon, or you don't understand see the 'Main Series' Notes' or ask me as all stories share lore. Of the stories this is the 2nd one in the series by technicality. My hope is that if this is well received and understood I will continue to upload parts and maybe even the other stories. Things in italics and parenthesis are always optional little tidbits of info that I throw in for better clarity, or simply just for extra information. For the most part they are optional reads as Parenthesis usually are. I also tend to bold key words/phrases/beings that I believe to be important things to remember, or if I'm introducing a new key term altogether. 
> 
> Also, I will try and update this at least once a month until it's finished.  
> Thanks for reading. -@Sonicravenx*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Introduction of Plutus, his disciples, and the tasks laid out for all of them to overcome."

Within the realm of the **Wonderland Universe** rests countless worlds, and beings off all natures. All these things are situated in the universe’s three primary dimensions; The **Godplain** ,  the **Human Plain,** and the **Afterlife** dimension. Specifically, the Godplain dimension rests above the Human Plain, which is above the Afterlife. These three dimensions, and the universe itself were created by the ultimate God **Wonder** , who used their powerful magic **Wonder Magic** , to craft the realm ( _and thus was named Wonderland, as it was Wonder’s Land_ ). Within the Godplain, the main focal point of this side tale of a vast story, rests the **Godians** ; Spirit-like xenoform beings who roamed the plains’ many tiers, whom do not possess god-like power or magic. Godians are similar to Human-esk beings within the Human Plain as both are complex intelligent beings, but Godians are the specific type of xenoforms that reside only within the Godplain. Also within the Godplain in abundance are Gods themselves. They reside in the lower levels of the Godplain; The tier of **The Spirit World Level 2** , where **Heaven** is situated as well. The Godplain as a whole is comprised of many different ‘ **sub-dimensions** ’, which are the tiers and levels of the Godplain specifically.

Towards the beginning stages and early life of the populating spiritual and god community Godians and Gods were in harmony until issues of energy and resources became problematic and hindered survival for some beings. This tension came around a time of turmoil with the relation between Gods with humanoid beings of the Human Plain as well due to a misuse of the Gods’ power and eventually leading the Gods to forsake the Human Plain. However, not every God felt the same about the relations of Gods to other beings. Somewhere with The Spirit World Level 2, below Heaven, situated the **Temple of Plutus** , where **Plutus** the “ **God of Riches** ” resides. Alongside him at all times were his following of golden and spiritual **Buddha** , whom follow Plutus due to his philosophies and ways that mimic Buddhism, and his disciples of Gods were situated. The God of Riches, within his circle of who-knows-who, was often referred to as the “ **Original Plutus** ” whom still knew of his original existence beyond the myths of who his is or what became of him since time ago. The Original Plutus resembled a thin and feeble olive skinned man with long flowing brown hair dressed in white cloth. His devoted followers close to him still worship him to this day despite the majority of the universe outside the Godplain forgetting him due to his decisions to enclose himself. In the times of harmony between Gods and others Plutus was the main god-like figure that went to solve the average issues of the Godian race with his powers of virtue and value, and blessed the world with riches. However, over time they began to abuse this power and he soon lost hope and gave up helping people blindly out of kindness.  Often beings would ask for his assistance to aid in their misfortune wealth only to be interested in monetary gain, or abuse his want and willingness to help those who have hurt people in the attempt to change their ways only to end up with more problems. He did not judge anyone but all of his failed attempts wore him out mentally and slightly losing focus. For not his close followers he would not still have the amount of compassion he has now. Attempting to respect how others are in their best regards he plotted to come up with a different way to help. This plan instead entrusted this task of aiding people to those who served under him, and him manifesting and mentoring individuals who all could be aspects of him in his place. In time he conjured up 12 Gods, whom would become the faces of Plutus as he mentored them into the ideals they believe. In this time as his help dwindled and became more scarce Plutus became more of a legend even for Godians whom resides in the same dimension as him. Overtime, Plutus would hand down his powers and his ideas to these Gods and curated them by sending them out of select tasks to heal the damaged relation of the Gods. In this journey he has remained faithful to them and their resolve, and has chosen to stay dormant for ages.

Some time later, as the Gods were getting a bit more used to the world beyond them, Plutus called for his disciple Gods back to his temple to regroup and discuss their recent achievements. They have been away for a few months and do not rely or possess communication/telepathy magic to talk to each other like other powerful gods possess. In the main room of the Temple of Plutus there is an altar and beyond it is Plutus’ resting spot and behind where he lays is a spiritual **World Tree** . The tree sprouts through the building and outside of the temple, and is integrated with the forestation outside. This tree was a way for Plutus to still give to the world throughout his confined stay within his temple by allowing people to pray to the trees orifices outside. The temple is vastly wide and vast in size and is enough to fit thousands of beings. However, despite is abundant size only his Buddha ( _about a hundred in attendance_ ) and the returning Gods whom sit in position alongside the Buddha to meditate.

The 12 Gods sit in columns of two; 6 in each column, in front of Plutus looking at them. In order from ( _Plutus’_ ) left to right, counting from left to right, are **Green Plutus** , **Gold Plutus** , **Chain Plutus** , **Aristocrat Plutus** , **Glamour Plutus** , **Earth Plutus** , **Valor Plutus** , **Erudite Plutus** , **Rainbow Plutus** , **Gem Plutus** , **Locker Plutus** , and **Failsafe Plutus** . The Buddha in attendance outline the room on Plutus’ left and right in columns of two as well, however they are facing inward looking at the 12 Gods. Plutus, raising his hand towards them, begins to state to them about how they are each aspect of himself via his **Plutus Ring** , which gives them each his power which is displayed through their own aspect of what their values are. Each Plutus wears this ring on their right index finger ( _to symbolize the right ways of beliefs in Buddhism_ ). As they all are aspects of Plutus in terms of value they each reflect a part of him, and the Plutus Ring bestows them his original power that is used alongside their own natural powers conjugated in their beings; Their overall powers are the product of both Plutus energy and energy they had prior to their conjugation. The powers of the ring has, which is the origin of the latent God power each of his disciples have, slowly opens up its secrets to the Gods the more seasoned they become. He reinstates this as he tells them how he is aware that the world beyond has long forgotten about him, and that he is still aware of the plight of the world. He also hopes that through their conjuring, and the resolutions that were passed down to them they will continue the path he set up- even if it’s a path other Gods ridiculed him for following. They all answer in agreeance with Plutus’ claims, each one referring to him as “ **Father** ” ( _The Gods personally refer to him as such, or_ **_Father Plutus_ ** ). Father Plutus tells the rest of the Gods how they all should savor the time they have like this in clarity and comfort as for months prior to this they all have been divided and not at the temple as they have been getting used to their new gifted power. Father Plutus has overseen them and notices new resolve and fortitude within all of the Gods. Father Plutus, knowing of the still issues that plague the realm then asks for an update of this most recent endeavors. He appoints Green Plutus to stand and tell him the intel.

Green Plutus rises from his meditative state prepared to answer and the rest of the Gods look towards him. Green Plutus, who refers to himself as “ **Dollars** ”, stands to address Father Plutus’ questions ( _Dollars aesthetically looks different from most the other Gods by resembling a tall and lean being completely colored in a green color. He has long green hair and royal garb that protrudes straight from his body_ ). Dollars tells Father Plutus that as a collective they always try to strive to better the lives of others as he did, and also to find new ways that they believe can change the world in ways that Father Plutus might not have thought of. He goes onto say that in the time of their depart all of the areas near to the temple are at ease with each other and there is nothing to be bothered about, and in terms of the lands where Godians reside there is minute dispute. Hearing this Father Plutus showed a face of pleasure. Dollars is pleased to let him know that the rest of the Gods, lead by his hand, have continued this aspiration and have been going to low-profiting lands, towns and kingdoms; Each giving them the resources to help the land. As he boasts about this Gold Plutus, who everyone calls “ **Midas** ”, smirks and makes an audible noise of disgust targeting Dollars ( _Midas’ appearance almost mimics Dollars except he is coated in gold and has a more ‘serious’ tone to his look_ . _His hair is less long as Dollars and he tends to sparkle due to reflecting light off of his metallic body. As nicknames are a running theme amongst the Gods Midas is the only one that doesn’t follow it; He calls no one by their nickname, and doesn’t refer to himself as the nickname he was given. However, he doesn’t mind being called Midas_ ).

The other Gods look towards him at his conduct, with Gem Plutus attempting to hold back laughter. Dollars looks to him mumbling, “Midas, please”, to him. Father Plutus, confused and a bit oblivious to Midas’ actions asks if there is a problem. After a brief pause Midas rose up and started to speak to Father Plutus. He told him how while their joint effort is still continuing to succeed to plan there are issues that the Gods collective cannot agree on, and believes it falls primarily on Dollars who boasts about being the ‘leader’ of them when he really isn’t. Father Plutus is surprised to hear Midas claim, and suggests bringing what their issue to his attention if they would want his input.

“Well Green Plutus, are you going to say it or am I?”, says Midas to Dollars. ( _Midas had a thing to never refer to the Gods by their nicknames. The names were used to display individuality and usually only Father did not use them. However he didn’t as well_ ). Dollars scoffs back at Midas and turns to Father Plutus as he is now forced to tell him what is really going on that they are at odds with. Dollars tells Father Plutus that within **The Spirit World Level 1** is a particular section of war ensuring provinces ( _One key difference between level 1 and 2 were the absence of the God race in level 1)_ . While disputes are things most other officials and Gods deal with in particular there are two opposing godian provinces; Each low in economy. The issue the Gods have is that Godians are fighting over land that is very rich in material that fosters a stable climate to the spirits around that landmass, and that neither of them owns it due to the reduction of energy flow in the world caused by godian interaction . After hearing that Father Plutus sighs; realizing the problem that is occurring is based around The **Godian Reductio Proclamation**. This is a certain restriction the higher tier Gods have placed upon Godians restricting their occupation over the Spirit Worlds’ land when pertaining to spirits.

Dollars has proposed a plan that would hopefully stop the impending war, however there is conflicting mindsets on how to deal with it. Midas tells Father Plutus that he proposed that they are fighting over precious materials valuable to the world such as gems, fuel sources, and magical energy reserves that must of been hidden to the Gods. He elaborates that the harboring of Godplain land or its energy is not what Godians are allowed to do, and that the natural rights of Godians in relation to Gods and spirits are not the same as it is in the Human Plain ( _While in the Human Plain land that isn’t owned by any specific beings is up for grabs but within the Godplain it all returns to the spirits and Gods respectfully. The Human Plain is also commonly referred to as “_ **_The Human Realm_ ** _”_ ).

Midas proposed ending the conflict by acquiring the materials and giving it back to the spirits and out of the hands of ‘unworthy’ Godians. This would force then to stop fighting, and by getting rid of the threats that oppose the Gods they will adapt without them. Dollars disagrees with that plan, saying that the reason the two kingdoms are at war over it in the first place must have to do with them not having resources to flourish without what’s there, and that they should help them build up their own moral and economic standards so they do not need to rely on that power anymore. Dollars doesn’t just wanna come in, take and change a bunch of things, and leave. Dollars also sees issue in Midas’ plan as it could instill resentment with the Gods and Godians. While them harboring these resources from other beings is wrong and should not be ignored they should not be penalized before these issues can be addressed; Nothing will be relieved if they just penalize. Dollars hopes to find some type of medium in their plan, but negotiation between the Gods has not been the simplest.

Father Plutus sees the issue, and ultimately sides with Dollars. To see which ones ideal works best each of them should remedy the kingdoms together; each aid the ares in allowing them to not depend on what is holding them back power. In doing so, the resources could be distributed as they see fit, and they should do so before they break out into a war. With that both ideals are being satisfied. In terms of the other kingdoms that could potentially be added into the mix that would be up to the Gods on how to deal with it as he puts full faith in their collective judgement. To the Gods, this was essentially a test; A task given to all Father Plutus’ disciples to test their ideals and abilities. Midas, after hearing Father Plutus not entirely agree with his ways, became cold towards him and Dollars at the turn of events, but ultimately decided to agree to what Father Plutus wants, and so did Dollars. Father Plutus then ordered them all to venture to this land and solve the conflict and with that they were on their way.

 

-CHAPTER END-


	2. Can Twelve Gods Stop One War?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The 12 Gods arrive at the area where both kingdoms in question were, and began to prepare to do what they could to alleviate the situation. In this process came revealing information to the group some had hidden, strategic planning of how to go about the task, and more disputes."

The 12 Gods were tasked to stop two provinces of kingdoms “ **Kokyo** ” and “ **Nijin** ” from going to war over land they were wrongfully fighting over, and had to go about it in a strategic way.  The Gods were transported to the area via a tetragram circle teleportation spell casted by the Buddha in the temple. They arrived a bit of distance away from both kingdoms; being teleported to an old shrine area in a forest. They walked their way up a mountainside to see the area from a better view. Not much was known about the current stance of both kingdoms to all of the Gods, but as they stood over the horizon of the mountaintop very far in the distance they could see Kokyo and Nijin . Kokyo seemed to have bordered walls that looked fairly imperial, while Nijin looked more Rural and earthy. In the middle of these two kingdoms you could see the valley in question, and in the valley were little hills and canyons that looked to of been slowly excavated for minerals and other materials underground. Midas proposes they head to the valley first and see what resources are there, but Dollars rejects the idea. He believes that seeing the state of the two provinces are more essential. Dollars also was theorizing Midas’ resistance to go to one of the kingdoms first to be from one of his previous assigned missions, which also involved Kokyo, to solve a different pursuing war problem. Dollars then asked Midas if the reason he does not want to arrive to Kokyo is because his last attempt failed. This question enraged Midas once more, and tells Dollars ( _continuing to refer to him only as Green Plutus_ ) that while he can put on a face in front of father he cannot do so to the other Gods. He elaborates and tells him about his mission involving Kokyo, and that as far as he knew the war they almost were in previously was apprehended by him, however due to them now being at odds with Nijin the actual outcome must be something beyond him. Because of the new problem the Gods have Midas’s anger came from the fact that it was him who told Dollars about the current situation, and because he handled it the way he did he viewed it as not fair to oust him in front of Father Plutus. He tells him that he needs to stop acting like a leader all the time when they all are equal. **Chain Plutus** scoffs at them fighting, and paces around saying that they won’t finish the job quickly if they don’t decide soon. He tells Dollars to not hark on Midas’ past mission status as it is probably not that important, and that Midas is correct in Dollars always acting like a leader just because Father usually appoints him to. But, at the same time he has to see everyone’s ideals too ( _Chain Plutus resembles a brown-skinned man in a lavish kingly black business men attire and top hat who has black cornrows, whitened eyes, and carries a pocket watch and lit cigar. His name is in reference to the many silver chains he wears and is also adorned with many jewels_ ).

Dollars, who refers to Chain as “ **Mob** ”, tells him that he only takes the lead because his ideas are usually the most successful amongst the group's. When he takes initiative his efforts always bear fruit. He also states that rarely do the other Gods object, and that if their true feelings were otherwise not acting upon them is not his fault; Mob doesn’t necessarily find this amusing, and checks his pocket watch to see how much time he wasted on this conversation. Dollars shuns Midas’ claims as he knows he is only wanting to use the materials for his own personal gain, to which Midas begins to lash back saying that his ideas are sane and that no one else but him would know his intentions when they don’t choose to understand.

  **Aristocrat Plutus** , who refers to himself as “ **Noble** ”, starts to laugh at his claims. The descriptions of both Dollars and Midas are quite accurate to each other, and what he ( _and others_ ) thought as well ( _Noble resembles a broad shouldered king in brown/red clothing with a white cape, and has brown hair_ ). Noble, however thinks that both ideas are good and had already devised a plan to tackle this effectively. Noble thinks three teams should split and accomplish both ideals; One team in charge of going to the kingdoms and gathering intel on both, and another team to go to the valley. He thinks this is a good idea as since Gods had recently made contact with them they might be expecting some to show up again sooner or later. Noble seems to pat himself on the back saying this as while Dollars often gets called leader they all know including him that he’s the best strategist. The team that heads to the valley shall covertly check out the valley in an attempt to gain knowledge while not escalating tension between the kingdoms, as well as be on lookout for other spirits or beings that might pose a threat. In terms of the third team Noble assesses that a good idea would be for some Gods to essentially be on standby; laying low and to not go to either. **Valor Plutus** is the first to express delight to the compromise of his plan ( _Valor is a bald, veteran fighter type of man who has a lot of scars and a deep voice, and carries around a lot of weapons. He dresses in black and dark grey. He goes by “_ **_Rifle_ ** _”_ ).

Noble tells them, In terms of the info, that Gods who have the most accurate info of the kingdoms already should also be willing to share said info. Noble would hope that Dollars, being the one that spearheaded this idea, and Midas, who at least interacted with Kokyo, would have info. Dollars proclaims that he had heard of this incident through Midas’ interaction with them, and that he brought it up to him prior to all the Gods meeting in front of father, but he wouldn’t divulge any info for him to utilize. Midas sighs, lamenting once more that he wishes Dollars wouldn’t try and string the situation like it is mainly his fault and problem. To answer his question, Midas admits to the rest of the Gods that while he is the only one that previously interacted with Kokyo he doesn’t have much info on their kingdom. This is because his interaction happened in a neutral province some time away from here, and his intrusion was more to stop damage in the province it was taking place in. What he did know was that Kokyo has a lot of economic dominance due to their exports, but is not well received by other kingdoms in the area. The war was over resources similar to the current war they are in now with Nijin, but he did not know of Nijin or this valley at the time, and that is why it interests him now. Noble is a bit disappointed at this revelation, but still thankful they are able to help more efficiently now that it has been brought to all the Gods’ attention.

Rifle asks whom Noble thought would be fitting for his third team and says the main one that would fit this job would be **Failsafe Plutus** and **Locker Plutus** ; Failsafe can establish a wavelength that all the Gods can have some type of communication to each other, and Locker with his security of possibly making a base ( _Failsafe is dressed pretty rural; like a farmer in brown and whitish cloth with long brunette hair. Goes by “_ **_Restore_ ** _”. Locker is the most aesthetically different god as he is a giant blue robot that is larger than the rest of the Gods. He chose “_ **_Alexander_ ** _” as his nickname, but out of all the nicknames given to the Gods they use Alexander the least. The only ones to use that nickname mainly are Gem and Failsafe Plutus_ ). The team agrees with the idea and Restore gives the ok to stay there and make the mountaintop area the spot they shall conjugate at, and Locker agreed with Restore. Suddenly, a voice within Locker spoke up and said, “Wherever I want to go, Alexander will go”.  At the same time an opening revealed itself on Locker’s head, and what came out was **Gem Plutus** (  _Gem resembles a little child that looks like a clown with a gem-infused purple afro, red ruby nose, pale white skin, abstract-patterned clothing of purple and orange, and a platinum pacifier. His afro usually covered his eyes and sticking out of his hair were also more gems. He has face makeup, same colors as clothes, that make him look like a happy clown. He is referred to as “ _ **_Baby_ ** _” as Glamour Plutus gave him the nickname and it stuck. He prefers not to be called the nickname and tells them to call him Gem, however everyone but Locker, Failsafe and Gold Plutus calls him Baby_ ). Baby says that he is interested in that valley and what they were keeping hidden, and expects that Locker ( _calling him Alexander_ ) will go with him. Locker after hearing what Baby said tells Restore that he will go wherever Baby goes, but can still aid in constructing a base for all of the Gods to conjugate at prior to leaving. Restore didn’t care either way as he was capable of holding down a fort without Locker, as well as withstanding a wavelength for the Gods to communicate and travel back to so, and told him to go where he wanted. Restore then asked aloud if making a base would even be necessary if they all could just go back to the temple, but Rifle said they would be better off returning when they solved the issue entirely as Father Plutus’ resolve to have all of them work together must of came from him realizing the tension amongst them. Most likely Father Plutus doesn’t want the Gods to return until all is solved together. Restore agreed, and recommended to the group that they all return when the sun falls. The rest of the Gods agree and Restore and Locker set up base.

After the base was made Noble broke up the Gods in teams that he believed would best suit their interests and abilities. The third team at the base with Failsafe ended up being just **Glamour Plutus** , as she did not care about the issue the most and assumed both kingdoms were poor and didn’t think she would be of any help ( _She resembled a pink-colored goddess with a feline-like aesthetic. She wore a thigh-length Lolita like dress. She insists people call her “_ **_Madonna_ ** _” after the singer on planet_ **_Earth_ ** _in The Human Plain_ ). While she wanted to see the materials she also figured people would come back with some or would tell her what happened, so she chose to await for later orders that she thought were more interesting. Those who wanted to go to the kingdoms were Green, Aristocrat, Erudite, Rainbow and Earth Plutus , while those who were heading to the valley were Gold, Chain, Gem, Locker and Valor Plutus . Rifle noticed **Erudite Plutus** was intrigued in him wanting to go with Midas’ idea, and told him that he was not really interested in talking to civilians and wanted to explore and discover what was at the valley that is worth fighting over ( _Erudite Plutus was the oldest Plutus with long white hair and imperial wizard-like robes that were crimson red and black. Referred to as “_ **_Maxwell_ ** _”_ ). Rifle walked closer to Maxwell, and began to tell him he also wanted to see what ideas Midas might have, as he sensed an obvious ulterior motive . Rifle then said that he would keep him and **Earth Plutus** updated on what ends up happening ( _Earth Plutus resembles a priestess. She has red long pant bottoms and a white kimono like top. She has long black hair that reached the ground and carried a long katana. Referred to as “ ** _Rune_** _”__ ). After dividing the teams of the Gods Dollars lead Rune, Maxwell, Noble, and **Rainbow Plutus** along the main route in between the two kingdoms until they meet a fork in the road ( _Rainbow Plutus was a rainbow technicolored-pearlescent-transparent God that resembles an angel. He is often right alongside Dollars in most cases. Refers to himself as “_ **_Unite_ ** _”. He thinks of the nickname as like as superhero name so often the Gods refer to him only as that in public situations_ ).

As they approached the kingdoms Unite noticed the abnormal energy flow of the area and the number of natural spirits being lower than he expected. Maxwell noticed this as well and was initially alarmed since this area ( _and most areas in a spirit world_ ) was supposed to harbor bountiful spiritual presence, however there could be a multitude of reasons why this is now the case. He deduced since this info was based on intel of the past and this area is war stricken spirits don’t want to hang near civilizations unless they were more industrialized and more in control. They discussed whether they should go to each one after another or split up and due both. Noble liked the idea of splitting up so different Gods went to different kingdoms and they could asses the job sooner to formulate a plan to solve the issue. The rest agreed with the idea to meet up back at the base where Restore resides, and decided to have Noble lead some to Nijin and Dollars lead some to Kokyo. Maxwell decided to go with Noble, and Unite and Rune decided to go with Dollars. They split off and headed to their respective kingdoms.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -12/24/2017-  
> *Fun fact: Kokyo and Nijin were named after Jungkook and Jin from BTS respectfully, with combining their names with Tokyo and Niger. The aesthetics of both areas were inspired by aspects of both these places as well.* - @Sonicravenx


	3. Kokyo City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dollars, Unite and Rune make way to Kokyo Kingdom, and bask in all that it has to offer; The good, the bad, and all the mysteries that dwell within it. Their goal is to reach the innards of Kokyo City to see The King, but how easy will that be for these three Gods? Midas' involvement with the kingdom slowly gets unraveled as well as they edge closer to The King."

Dollars, Rune and Unite arrived to the gates of the Kingdom Kokyo. It had a blue and white aesthetic, and was fortified with huge gates. They could tell more easily when they gotten closer that it had just gotten out of war as its walls were damaged. They were also confused when they assessed the damage as Midas had only noted the battles happened on turf away from this Kingdom so they were wondering what caused this damage. The main gate that lead into the territory of Kokyo had common Godians proceeding in via walking or automobiles and also saw further above ships landing inside carrying a multitude of things. This was a very industrialized society; one that made them question even more how this city could be of low economy. They decided to only pressure this issue once they found out their true issue.

They could see that further beyond the gate was the kingdom. Rune asked whether they were going to walk through the main gates like the rest of them or simply proceed a less welcoming way. Unite suggested walking up and asserting to the guards of Kokyo their ambitions to speak the leaders of the kingdom and to request direct entry. Dollars just hopes they will not give them trouble; He thinks they would be very fickle on whom they let in given their situation. As they went to the gate the guards instantly became in awe of the Gods’ appearances, but were soon in alert as if they seen them before. As they went to the gate there were two guards stationed at the main gate on the floor, as well as some guards in towers above. One of the guards ( _both males_ ) looks towards Dollars and says that ‘he has finally returned to them’. Dollars was confused and asked how the guard knows him, and the guard claims that he remembers through intel that he helped them in their last battles, and was on the front lines of their last battle when he came to assist but the outcome was not favorable. The more the guard looked however, the more the guard himself was confused as he thought he had a different color scheme. Instantly the Gods knew what was going on; They think Dollars is Midas as they both look nearly identical besides Dollars being green and Midas being gold ( _This is because they are identical twins, with different color schemes_ ). Dollars isn’t much interested in correcting their judgement of him and tells them that he needs direct access to the kingdom to speak to The King and hopes they will allow them in to aid. The guards were happy to allow them access due to their situation and needed help and told them the quickest pathway to get to the kingdom.

Before leaving Rune asked them if they could elaborate when they say ‘their situation’. The guards told them that as far as they know and are concerned the kingdom has fallen on hard times due to them losing in the war they were in despite Midas’ help and because of this they were subject to attacks by enemy nations, and in recent bouts Nijin in particular. This doesn’t help them that they are at odds now with Nijin even though they helped that kingdom on multiple occasions. Now they were enemies stricken by war. The kingdom of Kokyo and the residencies within its walls is not up to the estate it has been or that it should and it’s almost disgraceful. The guards however, have hope that the King of Kokyo, who leads them onward will fix this. Dollars bows his head in solidarity and apologizes for the harm they had to go through and they take that moment to proceed on.

Unite was fairly concerned with what the guards said about Midas’ efforts failing. He thinks that Midas isn’t even aware that his actions bore no fruit and that because of him not aiding to the best of his ability Kokyo has been left at such a bad state. Rune predicts this is the potential fate Midas didn’t wanna face, and that he must have guilt about potentially seeing the fate of his actions alongside his fellow Gods. Dollars is very annoyed at what Midas neglected to do. Dollars asked himself, “Why he did not check back?” Dollars also acknowledged however, how a lot of the God community has forsaken parts of The Spirit World Level 1. Dollars tells Unite and Rune when he meets back up with Midas he is going to give him an ear-full, but for now they should head straight to the kingdom and they proceeded on their way there.

With the granted access they got they headed to the main fortress of Kokyo, **Kokyo City** . The way there was a lot of open grassland areas and forests with small streams. Pathways made of dirty and stone lead them alongside hillsides that overlooked other parts inside the borders where they could see little villages that are around the kingdom as well. They did not need to stop at any of these villages for anything in particular so Dollars and group stuck on the main pathway. They made it closer to the main gates of Kokyo City, and prior to them walking in Unite and Rune persuaded Dollars to put on a black cloak around him to masquerade him from others, as well as Unite turning his rainbow colored body clear to not attract onlookers ( _When Unite chooses not to glow he will become clear. Rune thought that either way this was gonna make him stick out as people are gonna look at a transparent man the same amount as they would a rainbow-colored man_ ). The reaction they got from the guards at the gate could just be the start of what he will get once he is within the kingdom. Unite feared more that there could be others that feel way more passionately about Midas’ neglect more than those guards did as they are now dealing with regular civilians; People with families, merchants, etc. However, they also wanted to test that same theory as well in a sense so as they walked into Kokyo, and saw some of the tattered landscape and the estate of the people with such grim looks on their faces, they would walk up to people posing as standard visitors of the nearby area and would ask people how they are doing in relation to it. One in particular was an adult looking mother out on the side of the road with children outside of a store. Rune walked up to the lady asking how she was and why she was sitting out here. The woman told Rune that it was something she and her kids had to do as her house had to be foreclosed because the damages her husband, a high-ranked soldier of Kokyo, gotten from the battles prior was a lot and costs to fix it were even greater. Neither the Gods or The King has helped them like she thought they should. She stayed in support of her husband as no one else did, and this was a small sacrifice in the long run for her and the children as they had high faith. This alarmed Dollars as she said both the Gods and The King neglected them. Internally, this bothered Dollars as he was away solving problems of the Godian race in different areas and tiers of The Spirit World, and it was a shame this happened when he was fixing other problems.

The woman goes onto say that she is out here because she is homeless but is not remorseful about it but worries about her family. Her husband is on the waiting list to get treatment and since all their money went to him she decided to couch hop with her children with the generosity of other Kokyo people until her husband has the means to help them. The reason why they are outside this story is that the woman has been working at it by the kindness of the owner raising what money she can to give to her husband and kids. Rune is touched by the woman’s humility and devotion to her loved ones and is saddened that again, because of the effects of Midas’ actions causing a fault in their defenses, this poor woman is in this situation. As soon as the woman began to speak more, venting out her feelings to the three Gods, it started to leave the impression no one had really paid her any attention. Dollars reciprocated his sorrow within him in a gift. He leaned into the woman's hands and with his power of the Plutus Ring grasped the woman's hand and blessed her with light. Suddenly, her ragged-looking attire, due to work and negligence, looked brand new, and in her hand was loads of currency. The woman and the children were shocked at how he did that. Soon after he grabbed both children with both hands and filled their hands with their favorite toy they were begging their mom to get them, but she couldn't afford it. The woman asked how he knew what their favorite toy could possibly be, and Dollars lifted his head and told her that he looked into her heart and saw the nature of her soul and mind. He also saw her husband's wishes within her heart due to her strong faith in him, and asked to bring him to where her husband was staying. She got up and hugged Dollars dropping all the money in her hand thanking him. She was so ecstatic and asked about the money and their intention of giving it to her, and Dollars said to use that for your house and to not worry anymore about her husband's expenses.

Dollars plan at that point was to go and talk with The King, and proposed they can see her husband as well. The woman offered to escort them to her husband. She gathered the money and told Dollars that he is within the hospital wing of the main castle grounds of Kokyo, and that she had to go into the store to get her I.D. cards and to bring the kids into the store to keep them there momentarily. As she left temporarily inside the store did Rune and Unite congratulated Dollars on what he did and Unite was amazed at his utilization of the power of Plutus. Rune commended him for his natural ability to create values of other things and that is his talent with the power. They now have essentially an escort of importance that will lead them straight into the castle, and thus closer to The King.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -12/27/2017-  
> *If you are wondering, "Why wasn't the woman they were talking to not named?" It was done on purpose. Tune into the next chapter :) . Thanks for reading* -@Sonicravenx.


	4. Double Cadenza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The humble woman uses her governmental status to be an escort for Dollars, Unite, and Rune into the heart of Kokyo Castle with the hope of being enough validation for them. However, before they can reach The King, or even her husband, they have to get passed more Kokyo guards who this time, are giving the Gods a harder time getting passed them."

The woman gathered her things and escorted the three Gods along to **Kokyo Castle** , the castle in the heart of Kokyo. She tells the gods that her name is **Clarinette Cadenza** ( _she has a soft spoken voice, long blonde hair and green eyes_ ). She thanks them again for helping so spontaneously, and said that the money will not go to waste and somehow would repay the service. Unite stopped the lady as she spoke and said that they had came to Kokyo to help out everyone and anyone, and that to expect anything back would be a misservice of their part that they serve in the world. Unite goes on to tell her that he, and the rest of them cared deeply about the estate of the godians in this area and the spirits. Clarinette’s face seemed to almost lose some of its happiness, like pausing in her own tracks, with him saying that, but went on to show gratitude towards them.

Clarinette didn’t want to pry too much in their endeavors, but wanted to know who they were and how Dollars, still cloaked, did that miracle work. The more she looked at Dollars’ face she thinks she recognizes him from somewhere, but doesn’t know from what. Rune tells her that the three of them just have unique abilities that were gifted to them by someone who looks after them ( _which wasn’t that far from the real truth_ ). She takes that comment and runs with it and does not ponder anymore, thankfully not realizing that Dollars looks like Midas. She says that when they get to Kokyo Castle she can finally clear up her financial situation and also bring them to her husband **Trumpete Cadenza**.

As they walk the Gods see more of the battered kingdom and all of the people who are in similar situations as Clarinette, and how damaged some area are. Some area are in ruins really selling the idea to the Gods alleging that this happened recently. Clearly they are in the middle stages of recovery from something. Unite grows sad that they cannot help everyone immediately, and Rune turns to him to say that once they asses the situation they can place themselves in a role where they can hopefully prevent this from happening again. They soon make it to the gate of Kokyo Castle.

As they proceed they reach the castle gates. Guards there halt them, and ask for their reason for being there, as well as verification for all members who want access. Clarinette walks up to the guards and flashes her I.D. card showing her face and name, and demands to see Trumpete, who was being held up within the castle. The guards are shocked to see her, and gives their condolences to her husband for his injuries as well as the outcome she and her children have faced. She scoffed at them for the officials of Kokyo not doing much to fix her or anyone else's problems. Nonetheless, they agreed to escort her to her husband, but not the same for her entourage. The guards questioned who her company was and wanted verification. Dollars told the guards they had none but they must go and see The King as well as they were there to help. The guards stopped them and said that with no verification they could not enter. The Gods were surprised at these guards being more strict in entry than the ones at the kingdom's walls. Clarinette insisted that she was verification enough but the guards weren’t as eager to let Dollars and the others through. Rune then whispered to Dollars asking if it was time to really reveal themselves to which Dollars turned to her and said that they don’t really have much of a choice. Dollars then lifted up his hood to reveal his face and the guards and Clarinette then got a good glimpse at his face. After staring at him they then connected the dots that he looked like Midas. Clarinette freaked out as it was Midas’ fault in his role for her husband’s condition essentially, and unintentionally placed all of her ill-intentions of Gods upon her only interaction of one.

The guards called out to Dollars calling him “Sir Midas” in shock of his return. Dollars then alerted them to stop, and said that he was not Midas but his twin brother Dollars, and that the other two were Rune and Unite whom were all Gods. The guards then realized his aesthetic differences from Midas but were now in disbelief they were actually Gods . Dollars then turned his head to a destroyed building in the distance. He then directed Rune to use her powers on that building. Rune then lifted her sword in the direction of the building and with her nature powers, and the abilities of Plutus, reconstructed the destroyed building within seconds.  The guards and Clarinette were in complete shock after seeing Rune restore that building. Dollars told them once more they were here to help, and ensured that they all possess powers similar to what Rune just displayed. Dollars proclaims that they have means to help out the whole kingdom but only when they assess the situation with their leader. The guards immediately agreed and started to escort them with Clarinette first to Trumpete who was in the hospital wing of Kokyo Castle.

As they made their way to the hospital wing they were brought to the room Trumpete was in. He was laying in bed, badly wounded around other people of similar importance and condition, as well as nurses. The nurses brought Trumpete’s attention to the group and his face lit up ( _Trumpete resembled Clarinette similarly with Blonde hair and green eyes. Was fairly muscular_ ). Clarinette walked over and embraced her husband in love hugging him. She sat on the bed, and soon told him about Dollars and the rest, and what they were and came to do. Trumpete thanked them for what they did to Clarinette. Dollars signaled to Unite and Unite walked towards Trumpete and sat on the bed opposite of Clarinette next to Trumpete. He touched his shoulder healing him similarly to how Dollars healed Clarinette. Clarinette was shocked at him doing so as she thought that she was going to use the money Dollars gave to her for him and was astounded how his wounds were fixed. Dollars said he would never of agreed to that. Unite bestowed on Trumpete energy of bliss and serenity calming him as his wounds were healed; Trumpete had been in pain for awhile.

Dollars walked forward and then asked Trumpete about how he gotten those injuries. Trumpete then said that it was the result of him being on the lines of battle with a previous enemy kingdom. In Trumpete’s story Midas stepped in while they were about to clash at some point which halted the war. While some of the soldiers were under the impression that he was negotiating the end of the war what ended up happening is Midas only demanded them not ruin the natural resources of the area they were fighting in and that the things they were fighting over were not important. Some of the people present understood what he was saying and became passive, however not all felt that way as time went on. Kokyo were the defenders who were getting attacked by other enemies and Midas didn’t see the issue. To stop them from fighting over materials he simply ave both sides resources he thought they were fighting over which further complicated the issue. Trumpete himself at that point was unsure of what side Midas was really on and him doing so didn’t help the moral level of those fighting alongside Kokyo with basically helping the enemies. Midas then left after thinking he helped the situation but had only gave each side materials such as ammo to fight with.

When the Gods heard that they were shocked but ultimately not surprised. The idea was with the materials the opposing forces were given they would stop, and Kokyo was hoping for that as their defenses were low, but that did not happen and they were defeated. That battle soon traveled all the way back to the home kingdom. To Trumpete, these events were the direct cause and effect to why Kokyo and Nijin have started a dispute over the resources currently, because of the dynamic both sides claim to be in. Kokyo’s dispute with Nijin was a slow boiling one, but now has peeked. Both sides claim they need what is there. Trumpete concludes by saying that If things do not change Kokyo will go to war with Nijin despite their condition based on what The King of Kokyo has said.

Dollars thought this was interesting, and asked Trumpete why does that specific resource of that valley have such importance and why is it fought over both Kokyo and Nijin. Trumpete pause, and his face became very serious. He responded that he as a soldier does not have all of the answers. What he does know is that Nijin has done a lot of manipulating of the resources of the area, and Kokyo’s exports of a **natural energy fuel for engineering** has suddenly become invaluable which has lowered the economy of Kokyo, and the government has been working tirelessly to fix it and Nijin’s combativeness is a threat to them. The King of Kokyo fears they have ambitions to overthrow Kokyo as well as take control of the land outside the kingdoms despite it being a neutral pool of energy for both to use. Nijin, and those who ally with them as far as The King was concerned where enemies and there is no room left for negotiation. They had ruined the industrialization restoration Kokyo was attempting by trying to monopolize the area.

As Trumpete says this Rune turns to Dollars to bring up in a whisper that he is admitting to taking that lands resources despite not being allowed to, and them alleging that Nijin is planning to overthrow them and take all of that power. Rune asked if they should bring up the Godian Reductio Proclamation up to The King once they meet as it is apparent Kokyo and other kingdoms as well are ignoring, and directly violating this ruling; better yet, how the negligence of the Gods has allowed them to abuse this absence of assertion. Dollars tells Rune that until they understand their kingdom’s problems entirely when it comes to their economy, and how to fix it, they do not want to take a chance with amplifying the situation right this moment, or threaten to take away any resources they currently have. Dollars also foresees their problem being more internal, and does not want to take what he says as fact even though he serves under the leader. Dollars also will not make moves without hearing from Noble and his group who went to Nijin. Unite then arose from Trumpete’s side and asked him to escort them to the leader of Kokyo. Trumpete agreed to that order, and respectfully left to redress from his hospital clothes to the imperial Kokyo governmental garb, and walked them with other soldier escorts as the official representative to allow them access to The King. With that, they proceed from the hospital wing to the main wing of Kokyo Castle.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -12/27/2017-  
> *To add in some of my musical background into the story I have named the two characters Clarinette and Trumpete Cadenza after two things that can happen in music; having a Clarinet or Trumpet Cadenza in music. "In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display". The title "Double Cadenza" inspired by a piece of the same name (http://www.gregorywanamaker.com/double-cadenza-2/). Perhaps both the characters' 'pauses' as they were being addressed by the Gods was inspired by the 'pause' in the piece as a Cadenza is happening? (Lol). Thanks for reading.* -@Sonicravenx


	5. The Marvelous King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "In The King of Kokyo's throne room conversations arise about their affairs, their relation to Nijin, and the state of the nation he runs. The Gods try their best to reason with this marvelous king, and in the process his true colors start to slowly show."

As they were escorted into the chambers where the leader was Dollars and the other Gods prepared for anything as they were hesitant to think the leader would not be some type of tyrant from info they gathered from the structure of Kokyo’s kingdom and the wellbeing of its people. The King was made word of Trumpete requesting a meeting with three beings of importance and was ready in his chambers with other representatives and soldiers. As Dollars, Unite and Rune walked in they rested their eyes on the King of Kokyo, **Marvelous Hauneb** ( _He was a lean and tall fair-skinned man with blue eyes. His white and blue Kokyo imperial garb, bedazzled in mystic gems of multiple colors, sparkled lights around the room and accented the pieces on his crown and his long auburn hair_ ). Rune’s face changed to a bit more serious as she was shocked in the uncanny resemblance in his gem-covered crown and Baby’s gems that were scattered around the Gods’ body, and wondered where he got them. If they were the same they were spiritual gems that not average Godians can obtain. However, Rune kept this to herself as she did not want to attack The King about his own crown. The King sat legs crossed on his throne looking comfy and mildly interested in the three he does not recognize as they walk towards him. However, as Trumpete approaches him The King is alarmed at his sudden recovery. He demands to know of how this was possible as he wasn’t aware any of the on-duty nurses recovered him, or that the Cadenza’s could pay for the expenses. Clarinette, in disgust,  asserts to The King that they were well aware that he would react in such a manner due to the finance. Trumpete signaled to Clarinette to stop and told King Hauneb that it was thanks to the efforts of the three standing besides him. The King’s eyes set to Dollars, Unite and Rune.

As they begin to divulge who they are The King is pleased and worked up by three gods standing in his throne room. He first assumes this is done in the gods petty attempt to apologized for their negligence in helping them more thoroughly, but Dollars quickly clears up that the three of them found out about the past gods intrusion on their kingdom’s affairs a little earlier, and would not want to be roped in with that issue entirely. Dollars came to ascertain the affairs Kokyo has with Nijin, and how they correlate to the low economy of Kokyo. The Gods hope that with cooperation from The King they can help them out. The King decides to place his doubts about Dollars, being that he resembles Midas and could be like him aside, and immediately starts to bash Nijin for their participation in monopolizing the land, assisting other kingdoms to oppose them and sabotaging the exports of Kokyo in unknown ways. Rune asks how does Nijin compare to Kokyo when industrially Kokyo seems to be more superior. The King, in response, asks the three of them if they have visited Nijin to which they answer no with honesty. The King then replies that they are a more rural kingdom, but one that is ‘one with the land’. The Nijin kingdom to The King is the land itself and to not be mistaken by their infrastructure, as The King would argue if it wasn’t for their defenses and wall Nijin affiliate could easily break their defenses easier from using the land. The King details them to be a lesser type of being; something foreign, less intelligent but savvy on war, and sneaky.  

Unite is a bit thrown off by their description, and is almost persuaded by his words of them, but has resilience and faith that their is a possibility he isn’t telling the truth. As Unite recollects his thoughts he asks The King about the estate of the inner working of his kingdom. He wonders why many have been left unattended to, and why Trumpete did not get assistance. The King replies that with the state of the kingdom and its resources being scarce their attention had to be rightfully cut. Clarinette states that it doesn’t explain The King or any of his representatives within the castle not attempting to heal him, or leaving people poor stricken, and demand them they pay outrageous prices for resources due to his want for war. The King yells for her to be silent or else she will be thrown out. Dollars lets The King know that her words have truth and that heeding them can be of aid. King Hauneb lets them know that it is the way of war; had he had it other ways he would not need to do so. Dollars notices a lack of consideration behind his words, and begins to question him about these resources that are missing. The King tells Dollars Kokyo exports a type of energy fuel he calls **Kyoline** ; a natural energy source that is supplied to them by the land that they have used for a while  in the kingdom’s recent history to skyrocket themselves above the other kingdoms in tech. It lead them in the boom in commercial success Kokyo and allying kingdoms have had. However, after collusion other kingdoms seek their own ways and some oppose The King’s ways, calling him ‘corrupt’. They wanted to bring Kokyo down to its knees and they succeeded when Kyoline, which powered most of their tech, stopped working despite them still being able to collect it.

Dollars wanted more info on why they would oppose The King’s ways, to which The King started to get annoyed on the constant questioning of his character and leadership. He responded by saying that as leader he will do whatever it takes for the advancement of his nation; whether that means things need to be done in excessive force or persuasion, or others get left behind. Rune asked him if he truly was corrupt to which The King practically rose out of his throne in angst. Dollars inquick retaliation told Rune to watch her tone as they were not here to point fingers. The King at this point was done getting questioned and now asserted his power in them assisting them. He demanded they aid in rallying resources to help crush Nijin for them doing this to them and repairing his kingdom. Dollars asked if that needed to be the outcome that will work for him to which The King responded that they have tried to work alongside Nijin, but their greed overcame them. Rune laughed at the remark. Dollars, interested in this ‘valley’ asked The King at what resources Nijin was at odds with Kokyo around. In a similar fashion to Trumpete and Clarinette The King’s face became serious. Alongside him doing that the whole room seemed to fill with tension not yet explainable. King Hauneb asserted that it was valuable gems and artifacts that were native to the region that with excavation helps the economy of Nijin and Kokyo. This was the system until Nijin became to ruin it. The valley is something the locals in the provinces call **Valley of Value**. It was like a walking cesspool of energy for the kingdoms but this has become an area of divide once Nijin monopolized it. Due to its properties it’s fairly simple to The King as to why they would want to protect it.

Dollars, at this point, was starting to get overwhelmed by what The King is telling them. Now it seems the very substance they used to become profitable is a violation of the Godian Reductio Proclamation if it really comes from somewhere else. This process was not carefully monitored by Gods, but before even thinking of reporting this back to more higher Gods he thought only keep it between his fellow God companions.  At this point he believed he had all the info he needed to bring to the other Gods and told The King that they needed to round up a plan to properly help Kokyo in their attempt to restore themselves, and said they would be back tomorrow. The King was happy for the Gods understanding of their strife and them aiding in their fight. Dollars wanted to clarify that they were more interested in the aspects of his issues that concerned the nature of the kingdom versus their fight with what they were able to do ( _Initially Dollars was going to play along, but did not like the idea of lying and claiming to want to help defeat another kingdom_ ). The King proclaimed that they should have no doubt in his words of the the evilness of Nijin, but Dollars believes Godians should not doubt the aspirations of Gods and that he has a solution. The King, however had a point stay in his ways and have doubt since the last God he choose to let help them ended up in his loss by sabotaging him. Dollars again apologies for the issue, and assures The King he will find the best route for this and hopes that he will have patience and in time takes his efforts to his people. The King then sighs, bows his head in agreeance of their help and say that he will await their return and says that they may go.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -1/5/2018-  
> *The first chapter of the year! I wanted to note that Kyoline's name came from gasoline (clearly), and that specifically it's contents is of oil but more or less just spiritual energy that works like oil. What its made out of isn't really important, but in later chapters you will find out where it comes from exactly.  
> In terms of The King's name his first name Marvelous came from wanting him to have an ironic name being a king, and being named something of greatness. Hauneb, his last name, is simply made up with the goal to sound somewhat foreign and mystical. It is pronounced 'Ha-ou-nehb'. Thanks for reading* - @Sonicravenx


	6. The Dusk Regroup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dollars, Unite and Rune finish up their first encounter with The King of Kokyo and begin to return to the base at the designated time they all agreed to. But as they return things aren't as they should be, and the intel shared between the Gods shifts things a bit in their whole plan"

Dollars, Unite, and Rune then proceed to leave after giving thanks to Clarinette and Trumpete. They leave with the parting words from Clarinette whom asserts herself to Rune the corruptness of The King is something to look further into. They are escorted out of Kokyo City via an airship and they arrive at a port outside near the walls of Kokyo. At this point time of day is turning evening and it should be around the time the Gods reassembled, so they make their way back to the base. Dollars sends out an energy wavelength to Restore to communicate their return to him.

As Dollars, Unite and Rune returned to Restore and Madonna at the base they were alerted by them being the only ones to return at the given time, and it was getting late. Restore is oblivious as to why they are not here. Restore made sure that both parties did receive the alert to come back, but neither Midas’ team or Noble’s team have returned so far. Madonna, not caring about the situation, was laying down on a throne made out of energy. Soon after they were working themselves up Maxwell and Noble returned. Dollars questioned their lateness to which Noble was very not concerned with what he was saying as he did not see him arriving late, and that they should focus on that they made it back. Dollars decided to ultimately brush off the lateness because he could tell Noble was acting towards him like he does nothing wrong. As this was happening Rune asked if there was difficulty in their side, and wanted to know the intel they had managed to gather on their end.

As Noble explained what it was like visiting Nijin it became very clear that Nijin had huge animosity towards Kokyo, and villainized them similarly to Kokyo doing Nijin. Maxwell’s description of NIjin matched what Dollars and the others thought. It was a rural kingdom, but they were more in tuned with the nature. Surprisingly, the people of Nijin were very defensive towards them being there in contrary to the people of Kokyo, but Noble thought it was a just reaction to the climate they were in and Maxwell and him randomly popping up. The way the kingdom is structured, with citizens coming out from grounded structures of holes, Maxwell theorized they have underground channels that connect them all around the area. When they went to meet with Nijin’s King Maxwell and Noble were told that Kokyo has a dictatorship kind of society, and their leader will stop at nothing to get what they want. They have ruined relationships with almost all other kingdoms with how they want to rule things and monopolize the land. They have also spread a reputation about Nijin of them being savage alien beings, and not fit to be in society. Nijin has been doing their best to tend to their kingdom which lead them to try and seek resources to survive in the lands around it. Maxwell had questioned them about the Valley of Value to which they responded on how they were the ones that found the valley in the first place, and as other sneaky kingdoms found out they warned the kingdoms around the area about it. When Kokyo moved to monopolize on the resources in the area Nijin moved in to do the same so that Kokyo was not capitalizing off more than they already are by themselves as Nijin’s people believed Kokyo would become a force they would not be able to take down after. This was somewhat proven as their now dependence on Kyoline was abnormal, but efficient. Because of Nijin’s affinity with the land they, in an attempt to gain resources and protect it, Nijin implored soldiers to monitor the valley. While they were not happy with the methods they were partaking in comparison to Kokyo and the reputation they might gain they didn’t have much to lose. Over time they tried to settle differences and attempted to exist in harmony with Kokyo with utilizing the area and keeping it from other kingdoms. However, this harmony soon broke as they tried to take it for themselves; On top of the fact that Nijin no longer wanted to be affiliated with Kokyo they began to oppose them by monopolizing the area once more.

After hearing that report from Noble Rune was shocked at Nijin seemingly being aware of the Godian Reductio Proclamation, or at least share similar philosophies it testifies; Not abusing the land, and understanding their perspective of using the land more so than Kokyo does. Dollars asked Noble and Maxwell if the report of what Kokyo thinks of the kingdom of Nijin was accurate ( _Unintelligent, savvy on war_ ) to which Noble believed not. They were intelligent in their own way which was more intuitive and crafty. To be able to stand a chance to the imperial kingdom like Kokyo Noble believed they must have some type of smarts to be a threat. As this is said, and Dollars acknowledged Nijin’s skill, Unite highlighted the contradictions of both sides. Kokyo had confirmed some of the things that didn’t add up about Nijin and vice versa. Each seem to be fending for themselves but there seems to be a type of authenticity to Nijin.

As they are talking Madonna gets up from her makeshift throne out of boredom of the conversation and asked them if either kingdom had anything of value that is of interest. Maxwell mentioned how Nijin had lots of books about witchcraft and geomancy, and that it seems to be intertwined heavily in their belief system and culture. Rune, remembering what she saw in The King’s wardrobe, brought up the gems he had on him to which alerted Madonna. Rune believed that it was rather peculiar to have them and questioned if they come from the Valley of Value or something else. Rune discussed how she would often would go exploring with Baby and Locker Plutus, and would find rare artifacts within the ground. Often they would find items with a same energy signature as those he donned within his wardrobe, and the energy would have spiritual presence. Rune believes there is a correlation with the two kingdoms and the absence of spirits. Madonna stated that while resting here with Restore she did notice the lack of spiritual presence in this area, and brought up that those who went to the valley should have the intel that will answer the question.

Noble grows annoyed with waiting for Midas’ team to return and offers to go find them to bring them back quicker, to which Maxwell calms him and tells him that it will go against his own well thought out plan to go and do so. They are better off waiting and should give Midas the chance to prove himself. Dollars agrees and the rest of the Gods sit and ponder other potential ideas while they wait for Midas’ group to return. Restore goes back to transmitting messages through the wavelength he crafted to stay in contact in hopes they will communicate back. The decide to sit around and await their return, and annoyingly lament over both Dollars’ and Noble’s teams still having to return back to their respective kingdoms the upcoming day while Midas and group gets to casually ‘play adventurer’.

 

-CHAPTER END-


	7. The Valley of Value

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Midas and his group of Gods are sneaking around Godian beings around the valley as they try to get closer to the secrets of the canyon inside. As they extend their time there, in hopes to get the chance to finally meet their goal, they instead get themselves into more trouble than intended."

In the Valley of Value, Midas’ team are covertly entering the valley to explore and gain intel on what this mysterious place has to over. They moved into the forestation that outlined parts of the valley to travel throughout it with cover. Rifle brought up to Midas and the group that Restore has been trying to get into contact with them for awhile using wavelength transmissions. Midas, who did not care, responded that they have not been able to get further into the valley because they have been attempting to not be seen by the forces that reside in the valley. Within the valley to the surprise of the group were beings patrolling the valley, and it has made it difficult for the group to accurately assess the situation. They concluded that if they were found out it could rise speculation of a plot done by either kingdom to the other.

Unknown to Midas’ group, as they never went to either kingdom, there were actually the presence of both Kokyo soldiers and Nijin soldiers within the valley; Kokyo soldiers on the outskirts and Nijin soldiers patrolling inwards. Each seemed to be focused on keeping the other foreign forces out of the area while also keeping each other away from the excavation site in the middle of the valley. This lead underground to an unknown cavern within the canyon, and its unknown what lies within. Mob, at the request of Midas, surveyed the area with his ability of cloning himself with light, and is able to see through the eyes of the clones. It seemed to Mob that there were operaties positioned around the valley in a way that ensured no one would enter without them knowing. This setup made everyone a bit more interested in what they were protecting. The Gods ( _Rifle, Baby, Alexander, Mob_ ) agreed to Midas’ proposition to stay longer to see how far they can get on their own, and would defend Midas’ decision if Dollars started to argue him on doing so; Midas would continue to check his pocket watch to see how much time they are wasting however.

As they proceed to the middle of the valley, evading the watch of soldiers along the way they start to see more of the excavation site in the cavern. They see gems of different colors and sizes oozing with spiritual energy. Locker asks Baby ( _still opting to refer to him by Gem_ ) what he is feeling from all of this energy as he has a natural affinity to detect spiritual energies. Baby notes that he he doesn’t even want to step outside Alexander as he feels like he would not be able to control his urge to gather all the gems around him, and is star struck with greed at the moment. Midas acknowledges that feeling as well as he sees the gems, and forms a cynical face that reads to Rifle he wants all that he sees to himself. Baby goes onto say that there is a unique presence within these resources and the ratio of spiritual energy of the area around it is very abnormal. Mob questions if this abnormality is something that Gods should be concerned about on a more higher level, and Baby says that while he isn’t sure just how grave this issue is. What Baby does know is that whatever is happening here is more important than he originally thought.

Midas brings up the idea of rushing in right now to solve their wonders and seize the valley, but Rifle opts to stick to the plan since they already were staying longer than expected. Rifle believes Midas should calm down as he thinks Midas is getting a bit too worked up about all of this. Midas’ ego started to show and the team started to question how far they should take the plan. Midas turns to him almost in disbelief that Rifle is questioning him. Now that Midas isn’t around Dollars Rifle is seeing the type of internal battle Midas is forming and questions if he will let him personal feelings influence his decision making. Midas, adamant about his statue, believes he is actually this concentrated and determined more than ever because he is making the best plays, and believes the other Gods do not believe in him. Rifle then cuts him off stating that it isn’t a point of not believing him, but a point of reason. Baby agrees, and states to Midas that they must have all agreed to venture along with Midas because they see some worth in his ideals the most. However even that comes with smart decision making, and so it's natural to question everything Midas is saying now. As Baby says that Midas then sighs, and tells Baby and the group that he simply believes if they don’t take initiative they might miss a chance, and that if they don’t want to do really follow with the plan to say it now. All of the concern seemed to not change the outcome very much as they all still agree to stay faithful to Midas’ idea. As they all get on the same page Mob informed them about Godian beings approaching from their rear,seen from his many cloned eyes made of light. While the Gods could easily apprehend the soldiers that wasn’t the best idea they should do, and decided to further their trek into the forest towards the cavern within the canyon.

They proceeded further and found an opening where there wasn’t as many soldiers. They could see more in detail of what the canyon could possess, but not enough to make a logical conclusion; just more stronger levels of what they already sensed. They had very little to risk in their situation and chose to continue moving. Soon after they were spotted by Godian beings; Mob wasn’t paying attention to the area, and unknown to them Nijin soldiers were the ones that spotted them and were quickly alerted of their presence thinking they were Kokyo affiliate. The Gods were forced to abandon the idea of going further into the valley and retreated; but not without grabbing samples of the gems to bring back.

 

-CHAPTER END-


	8. Gold Gets Harder, Not Softer, When Heated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "As Midas' group return to the base they are meet with deliberation from the other Gods about their action within the valley. This spawns an argument that continues to show Midas' animosity towards the Gods, and his own inner strife."

Midas’ group return to Restore’s base and Dollars quickly gives Midas an earful of all the things he caused in both kingdoms for his antics. Midas was shocked at how he was really the one that caused the issues, and expressed anger towards the other Gods out of his own guilt. Maxwell mentioned that Midas needs to acknowledge his faults going forward. The first thing the group talked about was the apparent absence of the implementation of the Godian Reductio Proclamation in The Spirit World Level 1; which was further proved to be the case as Baby informed them of the amount of energy that was within the Valley of Value. Rune theorized that there is definitely a harbor of energy within the valley that both Kokyo and Nijin are fighting to use for their own reasons, and that this issue is affecting the land around it in some way. They need to find out for themselves what is within that valley for sure; In a sense Rune agrees with Midas’ claims of seizing the energy, but only because this issue is now above them and implores the God community.

Midas was shocked to hear her say that, and admits his appreciation for her sticking up for him, but this was followed shortly with Rune clarifying that Midas has jaded views on how to handle it. These resources should not go back to them nor the kingdom, and what is still essential is the aid of both kingdoms so they are not harming the land. Madonna, after overhearing the talk of the valley, was very excited to see this valley now that the Gods of Plutus have the intel that there is securable resources of that much importance, and thinks that they need to discuss the next strategy to accomplish both aspects of this issue. Noble was shocked that for once Madonna said something that wasn’t selfish and actually constructive, to which Madonna laughed and patted herself on the back at the fact that anything that is going to rise her standing with the God community is important to her, and that now she is interested in this issue- and the rest of them should be content with her even caring.

With that being said Rune brought up to the rest of the Gods about how she noticed The King of Kokyo’s garb looked similar to Baby’s appearance and gems, and asked his opinion on the matter. As Baby was informed of his garb Baby mentioned that he could not have obtained those artifacts without tampering with spirits. As Baby and Rune would often mingle with spirits they knew first hand of why him having those gems would be abnormal for an average Godian. Baby called to Locker ( _referred as Alexander_ ) to take out the gem sample they managed to collect, and asked Rune to compare this gem to the ones she remembers The King wearing. Rune believed that while the one they grabbed didn’t compare to the ones she saw there is a possibility they come from the same place, but were not of the same spiritual signature; The King’s gems were more potent. This was more evidence Dollars needed to come to the conclusion there is a deeper issue that is rooted to this war, and he questions which side truly is in the right or if there even is a right side. Dollars proclaims to the group that they should take this into consideration.

The second point that was brought up was how to stop the war. Noble suggested with the gathered intel that if Kokyo adopted the ideals of Nijin and vice versa it would solve their problems; with Kokyo not relying on trade and produce from outside sources, and Nijin being accepting of other kingdoms and working with them. This can’t start however until they stop fighting and Kokyo stops ruining that chance. They should spend time building the moral of each kingdom to hopefully deter their watch of the valley so the Gods can go in and explore without causing a further problem. Rifle also warns the group how them getting caught could potentially make matters worse, and to just be mindful of that. Attempting to uncover more from the group Rune asks Restore his thoughts on the matter since he, as well as Unite were the only ones who have not added anything significant dialogue to the conversation. Restore added that his mindset is of returning the structure of the area to its original natural state. It's clear the land has been industrialized but at an abnormal and unattended way. While waiting for the groups to return he, with Madonna, could feel the spirits calling to him saying how they were sad. He can feel the distress and the loss of faith with both kingdoms all the way from the base, which Madonna felt as well. It made her sick to the stomach, and was a reason she actually didn't want to get any closer and put up a front ( _she had only told Restore that_ ). When it was time for Unite to chime in he didn’t have much to say; He felt similar to Restore, and had the ambitions that were the same as Dollars. He cared about the people the most however.

Rune and Baby, being two of the Gods that are attuned to the spirits and the land, were sympathetic to Restores thoughts, and admitted to feeling the same energies as well but ignored it for their own goals at the time; they see their issues as valid. Restore concluded that he wants to leave this issue to the rest of the Gods, and that if they fail at stopping the war that it will be his duty to fix the issue. If Father Plutus finds out that he had to be the one to fix it he will be disappointed. Midas scoffs at what Restore says and demands he not undermine the Gods’ power- or specifically, his own; despite his error of judgement ( _Strictly calling him Failsafe Plutus_ ).  Midas tells him that he is aware of Restore’s importance amongst the Gods; with him literally being a failsafe if all attempts to help Godians and all kinds of other life fail, but states that he is just that- a failsafe. If Midas’ goals never fail then he will continue to be useless to him.

Unite walks over to Midas urging him to not say such things to Restore, and attempted to make Midas understand that he is only saying this out of truth and honesty. Midas should not let his own ego get in the way. Restore does not take what he says to heart and agrees with Unite at Midas’ ego being a problem, and tells Midas that he has hope in all of them to fix the problems Father Plutus could not, but that he is a realist. Restore is also well aware that he exists just in case they all cannot. Father Plutus tasked all of the Gods to tackle this problem because of this fact and is thinking of this as a test. Madonna comments to those around her- being Mob, Maxwell, Noble, and Rune, that the animosity Midas has towards Restore is very unique and different than his towards Dollars. Madonna thinks that Midas calling Restore Failsafe is almost like him trying to insult him as well. Maxwell picks up on this as well and states that it is best to stay on task. Unite sighs, and instead of allowing the issue to pursue he simply encourages the other Gods here to be the example to the Gods on higher tiers on how to not undermine or neglect Godians, and that they should be the bridge that mends this issue.

Noble suggests that the same teams stay aiding the kingdoms and be open to help them increase their agriculture and infrastructure. This will give the other gods the chance to explore the valley, and Noble himself was going to return to Nijin and suggest a truce with Kokyo; Dollars should go to Kokyo and do the same. Maxwell believes with the current standing this will be a hard feat to do- especially by giving each side resources; essentially doing what Midas did. Dollars chimes in saying that the difference between them doing so and Midas is that they are not going to abandon the kingdoms after and make sure there is no malicious intent. This angers Midas, and with the additional constant lashing and criticism he has been receiving elevates his power from his anger. Others notice this and tense up. Midas becomes more fortified in this instance, and to keep himself from lashing back at them once more out of anger he goes off on a walk to clear his mind; claiming Dollars makes it too hard to work with him by attempting to bring down his moral. Interested in separating from the rest of the groups for their own reasons Unite, Rifle, Rune and Mob follow Midas as he walked off; Partly to watch him, and partly to also explore the outskirt area around the kingdoms . Madonna laughs at the truth hurting Midas, but Restore tells Dollars that he is correct about moral, and if we are to work together Dollars has to be willing to work with Midas and vice versa. Dollars scoffs at the thought as he believed Midas isn’t fit, but Restore tells him to give it thought as Midas’s tantrums can get greater.   


 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -03/10/2018-  
> *The title of the chapter is based off a scientific fact.* - @Sonicravenx


	9. The Nightmare’s Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "To let off some steam, Midas heads away from base to recollect himself. Other Gods end up following him on his journey all for their own reasons. However, as they all make their way into this land, one that looks like it came right out of a dream, they start to uncover the dark that lies within. Such dark might be someone's worst Nightmare."

Midas, Rifle, Rune, Unite, and Mob all walked along down a mountain trail to the plains below looking out to the rest of The Spirit World, and took in the condition it was in. Midas didn’t initially want the rest of them to follow him, but as time went on he became less angered due to being around very level headed Gods who don’t often lash out at him. A big part in his lifted mood was due to Unite- thought Midas didn’t initially realize that. Unite followed because he could sense the negativity within Midas’ being. To Unite, Midas was very troubled and clearly very moved negatively by others who don’t align with this jaded mindset. To not agitate him, and come to some understanding, Unite chose to follow Midas in hopes his natural ability to influence others positively rubs off on Midas in a productive manor. Rifle asked Midas if he was just walking around randomly to which he told him no. Despite his current anger, intention, and focus, even he can sense something awry in this area. In a sense Midas could simultaneously blow off steam and scavenge the area to read the energy of the land by himself- away from the influence of others. Rune went along for a similar reason, and took this opportunity to try and understand Midas as she could tell the resentment he had for the rest of them, but tried to not let it get to her as it was just his ego.

They continue to walk and they make way into a patch of forest a bit downward from the elevation they were just at, and as they walk around it is surprisingly quiet; void of vibrant life. It is almost too quiet, and Rifle takes this as a sign. He soon grabs a gun from off his back holster and readies for an attack. This surprised Rune and Unite, and shortly after catching on Mob materialized daggers using his light magic. In a quicktime movement Mob throws a dagger off in the distance in trees and Rifle shoots in another direction. Midas, not understanding what's going on, gets annoyed asking both of them ( _referring to them as Valor and Chain Plutus_ ) why they are doing that. Rifle tells the group that they need to watch their surroundings and that this area they are in isn’t as welcoming as they first thought. Unite was alarmed and first thought it was members from the kingdoms trying to ambush them in the forest, and questioned if they found out the base’s location. Rune advised Unite to think with his head as that possibility is fairly low, and as she did so she placed her hand on the ground and felt the flow of energy around them. Suddenly, Rune then sensed something; multiple negative groups closing in. She was shocked that she didn’t detect this before to which Mob told her that it’s because she lacks killing intent; something Rifle and Mob possess . Mob, being very skilled in espionage and detection noticed what was off a while ago, but ignored it. Soon after, a quick silence plagued the area once more two creatures fell from the treetops, and the Gods were made aware that the things stalking them where **Nightmares** ; corrupted spirits by malice and darkness ( _Nightmares, especially in The Human Plain_ , _are the natural oppositions to living beings and other spirits, the latter other beings in The Human Plain often call_ **_Dreams_ ** ).

Unite was surprised at finding them here, but also accounted the time of day ( _Night_ ) and the abnormal energy flow. Midas smirked and readied himself to be attacked by Nightmares as they stand no chance against Gods. In the wake of seeing the Nightmares amongst them Rune questioned why they would try to attack them, and theorized they must be doing it for a reason more trivial than something like survival or dominance. Unite believes they were attracted by their energy.

Nightmares begin to approach them coming closer and closer almost cornering the group. These Nightmares resemble wolf like creatures. They gather in a group and growl, almost like they are trying to tell the Gods not to come closer in the direction they were in. As if they were the ones trespassing and were defending something. Rune started to look more worried as she looked at them. Nightmares within The Godplain are biologically different than others in other realms, and the line between them and spirits are more blurred. Rune questioned if the state of the area is causing spirits to turn into Nightmares, and if so those same spirits do not want them around as they are unsure of our intentions. Rune tells Midas, Rifle and Mob to stop as they are more likely attracted to their more violent energy. Unite believes they should return to the base and inform the group about the Nightmares that are in the area.

Mob tells Unite that they can return after ridding the Nightmares, and it would be stupid to leave them whether they came to kill them or ward them away. They could easily follow them back to their base and as such should be dealt with now. Rifle agrees to what Mob says and cocks his gun towards the monstrous spirits. Rifle has his aim perfectly set on a Nightmares’ head as he uses his special reticle that materializes on his face. Midas tells Unite that Nightmares are somewhat common in lower levels of The Godplain and around abnormalities and often roam at night. Gods do not see them in upper levels because of the blending of spirit beings and God beings, and a higher form of intellect. Unite understands this, and tries to make the group understand that they could play into the problems they are dealing with if these kingdoms get raided by Nightmares as they feed off negativity. Midas began to remember the Nightmares’ presence at the previous war he tried to stop and began to agree, but that what Mob said is true, and that they need to rid them away from their base. Rifle excels with automated machinery and mechanics like guns out of his like for armory and engineering. As a God he has the least powerful magical ability, so he uses weapons and other mediums to fight. This is tested as his skillful shooting takes out the Nightmares with single shots to the head. Mob excels in light magic, and is able to produce almost an infinite amount of it. While he can make the light into forms of weapons and attack similar to Rifle he can also shoot out light from his bare hands like beams ( _Materializing the light into forms acts as conduits to condense the power of the light he releases_ ). Rune uses talismans and her trusted katana to fight, as well as the earth itself incorporating it into her many moves . Midas, who is itching to let off some steam with combat, showcases his ability to malliate material into any form he wants, with the material being gold. He can summon gold at will , and does so turning it into a spear to fight with. He also can turn other things into gold and does to when a Nightmares sneaks up behind him turning it into a golden statue. Unite simply uses his energy to aid and buff the other Gods’ moves , as well as pushing Nightmares away with brute force ( _Unite is somewhat of a pacifist_ ). Rifle commented on if Unite was going to use any of his other tricks up his sleeve, to which he responded by saying he didn’t need to to handle these monsters. They continue to engage in the fleet of Nightmares, easily taking them out.Midas comments on the obvious gap between Gods and them, one that was like the difference between a mountain and an ant. This went until there was none left, and as they finished up the last rounds they all regrouped back and started to return to the base.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -4/5/2018-  
> *The concept of Nightmares were something I had envisioned within the universe of Wonderland way before I even came up with this specific story. Similar to the properties of Yin and Yang Nightmares are the 'other side' to all things. At their core they are simply just evil and malice incarnate. However, the true horror that can be these creatures might unravel as the story goes on* - @Sonicravenx.


	10. The Forsakenness of Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "With the return of Midas's group with their newfound information of what lurks around them this spawns a very insightful conversation about forgetfulness, and the welling of Godians. They soon hash out that all the things that they are dealing with currently all relate back to one person- Father Plutus."

Midas’ group returned and informed them of the Nightmares they encountered. Madonna soon looked up from her uninterested state towards their direction and told them that Restore and her had set up a seal around the base. This was done so those Nightmares could not come within a few meters of them. After the groups left the first time they both sensed a dark energy try to come to where they were at, and decided to set up precautionary measures. Restore agreed, and assumed that because the Gods were not too focused on anything else besides the mission they didn’t sense them. Dollars was unaware of this at all confirming their theory, and asked them why they didn’t inform the rest of them about the threats that were already against them. Restore then said he thought it didn’t matter as they weren’t a threat to him, and Madonna claimed it slipped her mind as she didn’t actually care. Madonna said if the group really was worried about it before they would of focused and sensed all of the abnormalities around them. She began to laugh, and joked about it by saying that it was probably because of the other Gods’ lack of care about The Spirit World Level 1 in the first place. Noble didn’t take her words too lightly as he didn’t like her assumption that the Gods’ forsakenness of The Spirit World was something they had a part in. Madonna responded back by saying that while they are still new to things with their newly given powers they technically are since it is the wishes of Father Plutus to be mindful of these things. Noble scoffed and claimed its because of Father Plutus’ morality that it left even the smallest sliver of decay in the value of life in all of The Spirit World. Some Gods were shocked at Noble’s response; outwardly blaming Father Plutus for something, but after the shock withered no one thought to say anything in response as they soon realized all the truth in his statement.

As Noble uttered those words it got Dollars to think about the atmosphere of the Gods, and how Father Plutus’ own downfall has in a way rippled throughout the Godplain. The 12 Gods, all in the aspects of Plutus, have been within Temple of Plutus since their conjugation into the Gods they are now; seldom leaving the vicinity of the spirits and Godians that dwelled around the temple to the lower regions. They were all unique spiritual beings; potential Gods with no godlike powers, who lived in the atmosphere close to **Heaven** within The Spirit World Level 2 ( _Higher tier Godians, whom are beings within Godplain with no God powers, are not bound by the chains the term “Godian” has. They are often referred to as “Gods with no godlike power”, or “Gods in the making”_ ). Noble also mentions what Father said to them before about how their unique forms are the result of the mixture of what powers they had prior mixed with Father Plutus’ powers , however this is a fact all the Gods have to simply believe is true from Father Plutus because none have memories of what they once were . Because of this process that happens, and the environment the Gods were within, they were all sheltered and jaded to the Godplain’s true strife and the plight of the Godians below. Higher beings would not know of the plight of those below as they don’t need to worry about it; or specifically they don’t have to because someone else of more caliber should/would. Noble also mentions that it’s good to note higher tier Gods also look down at what they believe are ‘lower tier’ Gods, and that Father Plutus was considered a lower tier God ( _Which explains the God’s animosity to his philosophies. This also means all the Plutus Gods are referred to as lower tier Gods_ ). This realization of the climate of the Godplain, and its potential future were all of the things that Father Plutus had seen and helped remedy; and now it is their turn.

Noble, still in a bit astray from his words a few moments prior began to truly recollect the burden that has been given to all of them, and envisions how much they will have to fix to bring back the wealth Father Plutus originally kept pristine. Rune then questions just how bad the Godian race was prior to their conjugation. It had been something she, or really any of the other Gods have not tried to think about, as it didn’t matter at the time. Maxwell, bouncing his ideals off of what Rune said, believes that it was a multitude of things, and it wasn’t just the Godians as a whole but specifically the mental state of Father Plutus. There is truth to the Godians treatment of Father Plutus. Beings would use him, twist his words around, betray him, and continuous other things. That type of behavior is fairly common amongst situations where one party has something the other does not. Greed and lust kick in. It was also the instances where Father would invoke his methods upon the Godians and they would not take heed to them. From what Father Plutus has divulged to Maxwell himself, along with the intel Noble had just said, he mentally started to decay when he couldn’t understand why no one heeded his message. However, Father Plutus’ resolve after all that was done was to smile, not take vengeance into his heart, and find a route to equity between not only Gods and Godians but amongst Godians themselves. He swore not to become what he opposed, and wanted to purify. There was something very ‘human’ about Father Plutus, and this aspect also rubbed him the wrong way with other Gods. Sooner or later however, this ongoing problem had left noticeable scars in his judgement.

“Gods are not perfect”, Maxwell said, “But Father’s resolution and his vision overshadowed the doubts in his mind. But at some point his vision blurred, and once he lost faith, lost trust in others and himself, he had to create something that he could believe in; Us”. Maxwell, the eldest conjugated God of Father Plutus, has spent the most time with Father Plutus, and knows alot of what his mindset entails. While Maxwell’s knowledge is sparse in some areas, he makes up for in in his theories, which are usually spot on.

“So it doesn’t necessarily have to be simply the Godians were horrible in general, but Father’s perception of them got more and more bleek and unkempt as specific ones mistreated him?”, said Rune to Maxwell searching for some clarification. Maxwell nodded his head in agreeance, but made it known the problem is far more complicated than that.

Midas scoffs at the conversation, annoying Noble and Dollars. Midas believes this is information that the Gods already knew, it’s simply just getting a bit more detail and connecting dots. Midas laments that Gods are _suppose_ to be perfect as they are beings created in a different image than others . It’s why there is such a difference between a Godian and a God. This difference, one that Maxwell had pointed out, has formed a divide between the two, and it is only the blame of the Gods. Their forsakenness is a fault, and this is an imperfection to Midas . Hearing these words sparked something in Dollars, Rifle, Rune, Noble  & Unite as Midas wasn’t entirely off from the truth in his words . Midas however, also blamed the Godians for allowing their imperfections to ruin them, and thus furthering the divide. It’s a hard balance in finding contradiction in both sides, but it’s this struggle that continues to happen that Midas claims is the reason why Godians are ‘helpless’, and what Father’s _true_ decay of morality was. It wasn’t necessarily a decay, but more of a clarification of what the real deal was and his ego lowering expectation from his ‘fantasy ideal’ to something more realistic. To Midas, decay implies it was there in the first place, in which Midas does not think it was.

“Still, that ‘fantasy ideal’ Father Plutus had was one to strive towards. The Impossible is Possible with the powers we possess. The Imperfect can become perfect with the aspirations we can achieve. That is what sets Gods apart from others: Our willingness, our faith, our power, and most of all _our magic_ ”, says Unite with lingering annoyance in his words due to what Midas said. But, these words were trumped by the force of his determination. “These aspects of us, the ‘unfathomable’ or ‘unreachable’ can be very threatening by others, but if we communicate and share with others it doesn’t have to be that way. If it can’t be done as a whole community or collective then the least we can do is strive to reach an ideal that we each believe will benefit us all as beings who walk the Godplain, and beyond”. Unite’s words echo through each God; for reasons of their own. It lifts some of the gloomy, serious faces of some of the Gods, in place of ones of intention and resolve. This instills in them once more the idea of still chasing an ideal like Father Plutus.

“And, if it comes down to it, what if that method involves controlling those beings to bend as you wish?”, said Midas. Dollars rises up from his  meditative position demanding Midas to stop flooding the group with that type of stuff, claiming it doesn't help.

“You can lash out at me however you want but we are seeing it right now! A society in which one receives what they venture out for out of control, and one that is forced to resort to other means of survival because they do not have such. Whenever you are dealing with power it is only balanced with control. Depending on the person that said control can be good, or bad” proclaimed Midas, defending himself against Dollars once again. The group comes to yet another silence. This time, under the sheer force of the doubtless statement Midas made. They all thought to themselves, “ _He is right_ ”.

Rifle laughs to break tension, and states that fact is essentially the reason they were all summoned here, with an attempt to overlook the faults in Midas and other Gods’ judgements. He walks over, pats Midas on the shoulder, and tells the group that they should end the pondering on this issue for now and focus on the mission. With that, the group settles down to begin to rest, nurture their minds and bodies, and await the upcoming events that will unfold coming soon.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -4/5/2018-  
> *Today you get two chapters! I was feeling fruity today. However, potentially expect more to come out within the next week as I have an interesting plot point to get to that I might want to reveal at a certain time. This will make sense if I actually do it. In terms of the chapter this chapter is probably one of the more important ones in terms of world building and insightful content, and I'm glad that it ended up being the 10th chapter.* - @Sonicravenx


	11. The Dawn Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Kings head back to discuss with the Kings about alternative measures both can take when dealing with each others opposing kingdom, and it proves harder than the Gods intended."

By morning the Gods had set out back their respected kingdoms of Kokyo and Nijin, and over the course of days had used their abilities to aid each kingdom while monitoring their forces to give windows to Midas’ group to return back to the canyon; at least that was the plan.

In Kokyo Dollars, Unite & Rune decided to divide and conquer; Rune was tasked with using her earth powers to fix infrastructure; but only in the instances of helping the people and spirits- not the king. Unite, very eager to help the fallen kingdom, was tasked to help heal people; in terms of their physical bodies as well as their mental capacity. This would bring back the moral of the kingdom as well as regain trust the Gods as a whole had with this community of Godian. Unite would eventually stay in contact with Clarinette and Trumpete to gain more intel from them, as well as have a way to access documents within the castle, as well as simply be there for them as he created a bond with them. Remembering their resilience to open up about certain things that they would ask them Unite would try often to use his power to persuade Clarinette and Trumpete to confess to him the things he believes they are hiding out of love but this, like the restoration of Kokyo, comes with time. While all this was happening Dollars was left to handle the King’s wishes- so long as they were sane. The King of Kokyo was very determined to get the resources he needed to control the situation with Nijin, and often berated Dollars to get what he wanted. Dollars was hoping the King’s overzealous attitude towards mending the issue for the kingdom was due to him being a leader and truly wanting the best for his people, but the more Dollars tended to his ego day in and day out- dusk until dawn, it became for more of a cynical reason.

Dollars would ask him often why he isn't interested in mending the relations with the other kingdoms and areas within the provinces- specifically Nijin. To Dollars, surely it wasn't too late for him to turn a new leaf of some sort. However, King Marvelous was fixated at the idea that his ideals were exact and absolute, and that the others were enemies and could not be trusted. The King continued to boast about Kokyo’s prestige and it outclassing others, and was sticking to his revelation that even when they were in ways allied it was heading to this point due to Kokyo simply being better. Dollars was very fed up with his attitude and how he thought of others, but he often tried to get him to see a new picture; one that suggested it was his fault, and that he possesses the ability to change it. But with every passing day Dollars felt he was talking to a brick wall. It was almost like he was talking to his brother Midas, and if they were any alike he knew that their mindsets were so far from each other that only hard actions could show clarity. Dollars however, was lucky; by using his powers of luck he was able to ensure that The King would not entirely be unreasonable. By allowing The King to open up to Dollars he got him to agree to postpone his attempts with Nijin and take a back seat for a couple of days. While Dollars paraded his teachings in hopes that The King and others would take heed in some way The King settled with Dollars on an agreement and would extend an olive branch only if The King of Nijin proposed the idea to them, and that the meeting was at Kokyo. This sliver of resolve brightened Dollars ever so.

In Nijin, Noble & Maxwell were able to get their words across to The King in a better way than Dollars was, but they soon realized that they were facing a more greater problem. While The King of Kokyo plans to halt his endeavors for a couple of days The King of Nijin was doing the opposite. The King was getting more exhausted over over this lukewarm standoff they were having with Kokyo; Kokyo trying not to overstep boundaries and start a war, and Nijin being very resilient and their efforts to protect what is sacred. This conclusion was created partly due by Nijin informatives that deduced that Kokyo operatives were treading around Nijin territory, and within the valley ( _the bits that were predominantly within their stated control as their reach far overseers the land they actually conquer_ ), and could be making moves to reclaim the canyon by attempting entry under their noses. They alerted The King of Nijin the potential that Kokyo plans to tactically apprehend them. The King of Nijin no longer will stand by and allow them to toy with them. Nijin have kept guard of the canyon, and it's about time they change their focus. The King of Nijin was adamant that if they cannot keep the canyon from Kokyo that they would destroy it so no one can, and deal with the consequences.

Noble and Maxwell soon had shocked looks on their faces; they could not have been talking about actual Kokyo soldiers. They both thought, “ _They must be talking about Midas, Baby, Mob, Rifle and Locker!_ ”. Noble, hearing this, turned to Maxwell in disbelief as they realized the same thing. As the informatives continued they had vague descriptions and numbers of what they had recorded; each having an uncanny matching with Midas and his group, and only Noble and Maxwell knew this. Noble soon was confused and mad as Midas had alerted them only the one instance they were almost caught, and told the rest of the Gods that it was nothing to worry about. With Dollars apprehending Kokyo their operatives scoping the lands had dwindled slightly, as well as Nijin’s worrying about Kokyo; at least that is what Noble and Maxwell thought. In reality, Nijin continued to scout the area in full effect despite telling them they weren't and that they didn't need to. On top of that, Midas must have been lying about exactly what was happening when they would venture to the canyon, and the other Gods were covering up for him. All of Dollars’ and Noble’s hard work were beginning to show cracks due to Midas’ judgement and influence, and somehow Noble and Maxwell had to alert the others. The info of their plot to destroy the valley could affect Midas’ plan greatly, but perhaps if they have nothing to fight over it could stop a problem- which is what Noble deducted within himself. That is, if Kokyo doesn’t retaliate because of that however. All this information had to stay with them definitely for some time however; Noble and Maxwell were staying at Nijin overnight to help build a better system for Nijin as a promise, and couldn't not afford to leave to waver their bond with Nijin folk. They had no other way in contacting the other Gods, and as they were not expecting them to be back they had to wait this one out.

Maxwell and Noble contemplated their next movements carefully as they are dealing with an agitated man who leads a whole kingdom. The following day Noble worked with Nijin affiliate to improve their tech; they weren’t as advanced as Kokyo, but for their own reasons. Nijin was more in tune with the earth, and relied on faith and their own culture to live in their own away from other kingdoms. The King of Nijin had told Noble and Maxwell once that they believed other kingdoms were jealous of their different way of living. They used their own literature and philosophies to pass onto their own. Noble took these things into consideration when dealing with their interaction with Kokyo and other kingdoms. Noble was the leader type, and valued greatly the well beings of others that he could leave an imprint on; he was determined by the end of this to be a good lasting impression of Gods- at the most to bring it back to what it once was in their eyes.

Maxwell took more into their literature as time went on, and Noble was going over possible alternative plans Nijin could do. Nijin had a fairly different teaching method than other Godians that the Gods would often study on occasion. Maxwell took in their concepts and methods and recorded them in his mind using energy to keep so he would always have the knowledge of their ways. He provided knowledge in turn for allowing him to have theirs. Maxwell gathered with various figures in Nijin the time he was there sharing the stories of Gods, and the stories of Plutus. Noble and Maxwell, when questioned about their ‘ascendant’ nature had told them they were Godians from The Spirit World Level 2, and that they had bountiful access to information they wouldn’t- especially since they were so different from other cultures. As he began to tell more stories of the higher levels of the Godplain, confirming the doubts of the myths of Father Plutus, some of the figures mentioned the stories they heard from other kingdoms of the ‘Golden Plutus’, the one that forsakened Kokyo some time ago. Maxwell assured them, and implored them to inform the others, that while he is indeed affiliated with the God they have heard about not all their intentions are the same. Maxwell had already informed The King of Nijin about this rumor and assured to The King there was nothing to worry about in regards to it- at least from what they knew as Godians ( _Is what they told them, which wasn't that far from truth_ ).

They tried not to let the news of their planned strike on Kokyo deter them much. They devoted time to speak with The King of Nijin to advise against the plan often. However, no matter what the things Noble or Maxwell said to The King it didn't faze him as per what Kokyo has done to them all the time. While The King has often taken a more lukewarm approach to dealing with them they fear a strike coming soon and thus they must use their advance knowledge of arts and nature to overcome them when their agriculture is weak. Choosing to not impose themselves on their kingdom any further and force their hand in the God’s image they imposed trying to meet with Kokyo one final time with them in attendance to perhaps talk it over a final time and express their ultimatum-like wishes before it gets out of hand. Noble and Maxwell offering this idea was but a last resort effort, and were a bit hesitant to agree due to their plan that is already in motion but had little choice. Surprisingly, after much debate, The King of Nijin agreed to this idea and proclaimed once more that this was his last message of peace- and if they do not adhere to this planned agreement then they will revert back to their original plan. In agreeing to this plan it allowed them a leeway to escape out the kingdom for a bit without much worry as Noble and Maxwell were to act as messengers to set up this meeting ( _Unknown to them Dollars and company had made King Marvelous agree to postponing as well and being up to meet with them, but only if The King of Nijin approached them with the want, and meet in their kingdom_ ).

 

-CHAPTER END-


	12. Caught In The Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Gods finally are brought back together- this time under very concerning measures. The Gods finally are able to ascertain all the floating questions going around, and this brings out the true animosities among certain Gods."

The following day Noble’s and Dollars’ groups meet back up with discussion on what both found and topics of what to do next spurred up. With Nijin ready to surprise attack it put Dollars in a hefty position being one of the ones helping them, but it also did not help with Kokyo’s attempts to monopolize everything. While spending time in each kingdom each kingdom’s problems slowly were relieved in their own ways of self healing and rejuvenation; secretly taking the teachings of the one kingdom and applying it to the other. Egos are in the way on both sides, and the Godians they are dealing with are stubbornly not adhering to the Gods’ way. Noble brought up the Gods attending Nijin’s proposed meeting with Kokyo would leave an opening in their plan to divide and conquer by revealing all the Gods were really working together; It could ruin trust. Maxwell brought up however that it was a fate they all would have to face eventually. Unless they pull themselves from the situation the only way to relieve that event is to control the outcome; that would be in a similar vein to what Midas was telling them. The topic of this and Midas made the Gods wonder once more where Midas’ group was and what kept them. Noble had revealed to the group what they learned from being at Nijin about all the times they had to of been lying, and once again Dollars was ready to scold Midas. Midas’ group was taking a long time at the valley. The Valley of Value, after all the work the Gods put in, was the place they still knew the least about. To some of the Gods, it was about time these factors changed.

Dollars waited patiently for their return as the day when on. After much wait and finalizing the meeting between Kokyo and Nijin Midas, Mob, Rifle, Baby & Locker arrived. Dollars walks up to Midas, and Midas rolls his eyes knowing that he is about to get lectured again. Midas asks Dollars what did he do this time in a joking manner as to make a point about how him yelling at him such a normality. Dollars tells all of them to cut the crap and ascertains to all of them as to why they have not been telling the truth towards them. Mob, annoyed, steps forward and wants to know where does Dollars get off at accusing all of them of lying out of nowhere. Mob says that overall they have been returning back at a regular time as of late, and virtually anything else that they have complained about the past few days hasn’t been an issue. Madonna laughs at Mob’s attempts to cover up what they are doing.

“Oh come on Mobby the jig is up”, Madonna says continuing to laugh at them, “Apparently you guys have not been so truthful as to what has been going on when you guys leave”. Mob’s face looks confused as she says that, and Restore gets up from off the ground from his meditative state to walk towards Midas’ group.

“Dollars, perhaps you should let someone else handle this”, says Restore as she bypasses Dollars and gets right in Midas’ face. Midas, with a scrunched up face looks down at Restore ( _Midas and Dollars in comparison to Restore are tall; Restore goes up to Midas’ shoulder_ ). Restore has a blank face on but under it is apparent annoyance. “Listen, I don’t know what your problem is, or why the others are going along with your plans, but I know it’s because of you. Midas, it’s starting to really make things for the rest of us when you guys are out basically sabotaging our group plans, and I’m tired of wasting time here”, Restore continues to say.

“Huh?! What the fuck are you talking about Failsafe? On what grounds do you think you can just get in my face and talk some bullshit?”, says Midas. It appears to those around him that his anger for the situation seemingly is streaming less now from being questioned, but for Restore having the guts to get in his face like Dollars does.

“Noble and Maxwell, when they were at Nijin, ascertained from their people that they came across a peculiar group of individuals sneaking around the valley. When they went to describe them to them the descriptions matched you guys’”, says Restore pointing to Noble and Maxwell. “Because of the climate they believe it to be personnel of Kokyo because they are oblivious to our plan, but we are not as dumb. Midas, the plan was to scout and get information but to take priority on staying hidden as we were giving you a window to allow you to satisfy your fancy. You guys neglected to mention that you were engaging with Nijin whatsoever this whole time. Because of that they now plan to strike Kokyo and the whole point of us doing all this is so nothing like this happens”. Midas and the group feel the tension in them rise up as they here this. Everything they Restore said is true; they were lying about engaging with operatives in the valley to continue exploring because they knew if they said otherwise they would be forced to stop by the other Gods. Midas is somewhat shocked to hear that Nijin plans to strike. Midas stares into Restore’s eyes once more after glancing at his group and then looks to Noble and Maxwell.

“Is what the Failsafe said true? And all the descriptions?”, says Midas. Noble steps forward prepared to answer this question.

“According to their officials, yes. They described it right in front of us. There isn’t too many people that have glowing gold skin, or are bald headed with an arsenal on their back, or idk... A weird looking child on top of a giant robot looking thing”, says Noble. As he says that each one of them look at themselves, with Rifle getting embarrassed by being identified with having no hair. Locker seems to blush in embarrassment, and thinks maybe his large body made it pretty easy to target. This starts up banter of Midas’ group trying to explain themselves, with Baby trying to say that there is a reason for it that lead the rest of them agreeing to stay with their intentions and continuing to explore. However, Maxwell wasn’t really having it.

“Regardless of details the point is that because you guys were prying around it has made The King of Nijin to make moves, but thankfully due to me and Noble we convinced him to overlook this and talk with Kokyo one more time before things go to far”, says Maxwell attempting to cut off any arguments from starting. “Coincidentally, Dollars worked on Kokyo getting to the same place in terms of conversing, but currently Kokyo doesn’t know that if this talk goes sour that Nijin could start a retaliation right then and there”.

Maxwell goes on to mention that their options to oversee the meeting puts a wrench into their plan and will blow their cover indefinitely. They can’t afford to abandon the plan now, but this is their last chance considering they don’t want to control them; the Gods are still taking heed of Dollars’ ambition to somehow have the Godians get the means to stop their own problems.

“So what was worth lying to the rest of us for so long? What could you have possibly found?”, says Madonna pestering Midas once more.

“Hey, listen, I’m _so_ tired of hearing Dollars run his mouth all the time. I took things into my own hands because I believed we were finding out something special, and the others followed my ambitions”, says Midas. This revolation intrigued the Gods. “We risked our cover and proceeded into the canyon, and each time we did and got further out suspicions got more intense”, continued Midas.

“What was it them?”, said Restore. Midas looks to Restore once more with a serious face. Midas internally realizes that while Restore doesn’t speak to him directly often he cannot tell whether him bantering him gets him more angered, or does it when Dollars banters him. However, Midas pushes that thought to the side.

“... We noticed heavily the displacement of energy. While the area all around is appears void of spiritual energy the more we got close to the canyon the presence and intensity of spiritual energy rose”, says Midas.

“So something has to be actually down there you think”, says Rune.

“Yes. Or, at least that is the motive that kept us going. We feared that with little evidence that stopping would stop us from getting real evidence. Getting material samples clearly wasn’t enough since some of you would would joke about how we weren’t doing anything- I’m talking about _you_ Madonna”, says Mob. She laughs as he says that. She became very bored of the materials they would often bring back as it didn’t help out what they were trying to uncover.

“I can see where you guys are coming from at least, but you still caused a mess”, says Dollars. Midas laughs at Dollars saying that, not believing he truly does.

“We thought about covering up our tracks, but I’m sure you wouldn’t of approved of that either Dollars. We did the best we could. We didn’t think our getting seen would spur this up as we would see actual Kokyo soldiers as well; just not where we were”, says Rifle with a bit of a chuckle at the end. With this all brought out into the air tensions died down, with the Gods becoming less hostile with Midas’ group.

“You mentioned a meeting and the war that can happen if it potentially fails due to Kokyo’s attempts to obtain it once more. What do you think will become of the valley during this process?”, says Baby.

“We know already”, says Noble. “Initially this event would of been harder to stop but essentially Nijin, as a true last resort, plans to destroy the canyon altogether and suffer whatever consequence in turn for stopping the fight”. As they said this Midas, and the rest of his group were shocked.

“How could they?! That would put even them at risk. How do they have the means to do so?”, says Midas frantically.

“Because there was no one there to stop their ambitions”, says Maxwell. “They could have had this plan for a while and because of the way The King mentioned it to them their means of doing so must be lethal. Because of our situation we are kinda in the middle; while we are interested in what they are fighting over if that itself is destroyed that could bring about the stop of the war”. Maxwell says this, trying to bring back up what he and Noble had discussed when they had found out.

“It is pretty similar to Midas’ plan initially to take what is there from them so they stop fighting and control the situation, but in this case them destroying it kinda eliviates a problem and also doesn’t involve Gods; it’s a unique middle to both Dollars and Midas’ plan”, says Noble. As Noble says this he starts to think a lot over how this could ruin his ambitions currently. Restores seems to notice this as he looks into his eyes.

“The condition that canyon is in at the end of this isn’t much their concern as stabilizing the Godians are Midas”, says Restore, angering Midas even more. “Sure, Father Plutus might not particularly like to hear an area of the Spirit World getting destroyed on our hands.  And yes, there is a possibility that whatever is happening in that valley cannot be natural. But, for the sake of just working together for our goal I don’t think you guys should worry about what’s there anymore”. Suddenly, as Restore says that the air around Midas and Restore starts to swirl as Midas gets more physically heated, and unbenounced to even Midas he was becoming even more angered at Restore having the nerve to stand in the way of him and his goals.

“So what are you trying to say Failsafe?”, asked Midas.

“I’m saying that you should stop whatever it is you have been planning this whole time, stop roping the other Gods in it, and work together not tear everything apart. After we stop the problem don’t you think we will find that out anyways? This problem is far beyond what we expected. We need to inform the other Gods who are more equipped to handle this anyways. Stop being so egotistical”, says Restore talking down to Midas. This altercation truly shocks some of the other Gods; Restore often doesn’t have a need to really talk or have disagreements about things. Even to Midas’ own accomplices they get the feeling Restores annoyance towards Midas was one building up throughout the whole mission- preceding it even. However, Restore is quite unfazed by Midas’ attempts to scare him with his power and stands there with a serious face, almost challenging him. Suddenly, Dollars steps in between them breaking the tension placing his hand on each of them to push them away from each other. With the release of this tension between the the three of them it was enough to shake the ground they were standing on. Rifle was intrigued that Restore was actually unleashing energy back that was actually clashing with Midas’.  

“Listen Midas, I entertained your idea this whole time. While I would want you to continue at this point we need to think strategically. You hiding that from us- all of you hiding it, has lead us to this point. For now it might be best for your team to just stay here with Restore and Madonna while we do this meeting”, says Dollars to Midas trying to reason with him. Midas finally backs away from Restore and Dollars smacking Dollars hand away from him. As he does this he sighs, and then starts to walk over to Madonna. He hands her the gems they collected on their journey from the canyon, and signals to Rune that she can expect them if she still wants to analyze the gems from the valley ( _Baby was given some prior to them arriving with the rest of the gods and kept those for himself_ ). He then decides to go meditate away from the rest of them to try and cool down, and walked back in the direction of Restore to his spot away from them.

“Sorry”, says Midas approaching Restore apologising for his judgement causing the mess. Restore raises one of his eyebrows in surprise of him saying so. As he begins to form a sentence Midas continues to walk forward.

“Well, as long as you understa-”, says Restore cut off after Midas suddenly knocks his right shoulder into Restore’s left. He continues to walk past him afterwards.

“You are just the failsafe in case all of this shit doesn’t work. I’ll give you this one, but next time you try and overstep your place I _won’t_ be as forgiving”, says Midas attempting to demean Restore and walks off alone to meditate in peace. He believes he is overstepping his importance and reason for existing by butting into what the other Gods are doing since they still have opinions . It is pretty clear to the Gods now, especially since this is the second time Midas saying this the time they have been here, that Midas believes Restore is beneath him and the other Gods- or better yet simply just doesn’t need to have such a stance in the situation because Restore cannot actually do anything about it. But, all of his words still do not faze Restore; he is aware his words are said out of ignorance, guilt, and jealousy. Restore starts to think to himself; he believes he is doing exactly what he was set to do which is keep the plan in motion, and keeping everyone from falling off their game by ensuring Midas doesn’t mess up the plan falls into his court in his eyes. Restore also was unfazed because, unknown to the rest, he had the similar idea of destroying the valley if things do not go well. He let Midas feed his fancy, but ultimately he was prepared to crush his dreams for the mission ( _Restore, while agreeing with the rest of the Gods’ ideas, also has ulterior motives in his head that thinks beyond what they all do. Simply put- if the group plan isn’t going to work in his head he has already thought up a way he will stop the Gods from getting into much mess_ ). As this all transpires Dollars tries to console Restore and apologize, but Restore signals to Dollars for him to not even try; he truly isn’t affected by his words, but he worries for Dollars still. He worries still about how the dynamic of the Gods, and how he thinks Dollars and Midas’ actions will affect things in the future. For now, he things they all should follow Midas’ action and meditate on the event and prepare for the Kokyo and Nijin meeting.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -4/13/18-  
> *The title is in reference to Midas and group getting caught by Nijin and having to admit it to the group. This is also a cheeky way of referencing "Courtney Act", a famous drag queen, and her name reference as well. A good thing to keep in mind reading on is the animosity that Midas has towards Restore. it will play a point later in the story.* - @Sonicravenx


	13. It Just Happened To Be a Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everything that the Gods feared might happen is now staring them right in there faces as the meeting between Kokyo and Nijin is on its way. With the actions of one greedy God this might have shifted the whole scenario in a different direction no God intended."

The following day was to be a day to remember; the moment the Gods have been working towards is almost among them. With Dollars and Noble’s team efforts they have made the meeting successfully happen without much falling through. They were on the way to meet back with their respected kingdoms. If everything works out the way they believe it can they can resolve the issue and also find out the mysteries of the Valley of Value. While this was happening the rest of the gods- Midas’ team along with Madonna and Restore, were to be ready to mobilize if they happen to see Nijin or Kokyo potentially attempt an attack on the other while the meeting happened back at base. The idea was for Noble and Maxwell to escort The King of Nijin with his convoy to Kokyo and meet up with Dollars and his group to then take them to The King of Kokyo who has a specially set up chamber for them to discuss in. The idea had been brought up by Maxwell about meeting at a neutral place, however The King of Nijin had told them prior to departing that he had faith and reassurance in the land that they could be safe, and to be able to retaliate even within Kokyo’s own walls.

While all of this was happening however the team that was to stay at the base were left in a bit of confusion; while Dollars’ and Noble’s teams went off to Nijin and Kokyo the remaining Gods were at a lost to where Midas went off to. He had apparently left the base prior to the others going off to go on another walk according to Locker, but he had yet to return. Rifle had questioned if they should be worried about his whereabouts, but Restore commented that knowing Midas even if he was in a bind he would be able to easily get himself out of it. Also, that if his life were in true danger and was on the verge of death he would be able to detect that. While his whereabouts was something to worry about Restore also boasted that not having Midas in their hair for once would be something they should lavish in. Baby laughed as Restore said that from him seemingly telling the group a joke about Midas, and brought up the group dynamic when they would head to the valley, and how it was always interesting as they never knew how Midas would act with them ( _They would often get back from their trips and talk about Midas’ attitude when he would go off somewhere_ ). Mob chuckled at remembering Midas’ attitude and had agreed with Baby. Mob also brought up how he and Midas would argue about his ideas, but ultimately would cave in so Midas would shut up. Mob also offered to go look for Midas, but Restore told him that would cause more problems than solve them and that they should just stick to their assigned role of staying at base and being prepared for any impending battle between the kingdoms.

Noble and Maxwell was on the way to deliver The King of Nijin’s convoy to Kokyo and at this same time Dollars, Unite, and Rune were heading to Kokyo City. The plan for Dollars was to first meet with The King to alert him he had arrived, and then head to the designated area where he would run into Noble and Maxwell. Dollars and group walked through the border of Kokyo once more, but this time they had a different air about them. They were quite hopeful with the work they have done with helping the kingdom over the days with rebuilding and helping the moral level of the people. As they walked along the way to the city they would run across people walking outside of town- seemingly more motivated to leave and go outside of its walls who greeted them and seemed to be in less stress than before. This brought joy to the Gods’ faces as they saw this. As they approached the gates of the city to meet with The King they instead wanted to make a slight detour.

They wanted to check up on Clarinette and Trumpete since they were one of the first people they had meet when they first came to Kokyo. They have not seen them since they had last said goodbye, however Dollars has seen Trumpete on duty around the castle grounds but havent really sat down and had a real conversation. They went to visit Clarinette at the house she has that should now not be foreclosed and in her possession. They had walked up to the house and Rune knocked on the door.

“Yes? Who is it?”, said Clarinette voice behind the door.

“It’s Rune, Unite and Dollars. We have came to visit you and Trumpete prior to our arrival to Kokyo Castle today”, said Rune through the door. As Clarinette heard her voice she instantly opened up the door for them and proceeded to give her a hug. She was very excited to see all of them.

“Wow it’s great to see you all. With the kids and all I haven’t gotten a chance to see you all when you would be in town. Trumpete would tell me sometimes about how he would often see you guys around the castle and whatnot”, said Clarinette. As she said that pattering footsteps could be heard approaching the door with muttered words wondering who was at the door that Clarinette was talking to. Suddenly, around Clarinette’s legs her two children peeked out from around her legs and smiled at the Gods. As they came Clarinette laughed. “Ah yes, these little ones were eager to see the Gods again as well”.

“Well it's nice to see all of you as well.”, said Dollars. He patted one of the children on the head and gave a warm grin towards the other. “Speaking of Trumpete is he here as well? We wanted to see him as well”.

“You just missed him. He went off to the castle. Apparently there is something going on today that needed him there.”, said Clarinette seemingly unaware of what was going on today.

“Oh, he probably was summoned for the meeting that is happening between Kokyo and Nijin today that we have organized”, said Unite. As he said that Clarinette’s face got shocked, almost as if she didn’t know that was happening at all.

“You… Didn’t know that was happening?”, said Rune to Clarinette. She shook her head ‘No’.

“I don’t often ask about the stuff he has to do as it’s mostly confidential, or he just thinks he thinks I shouldn’t worry about. I mean, most the time, I do not want to know all of what that jaded man does but no, I did not know”, says Clarinette. As she says that the Gods can feel a slight coldness in the air, as if they did something wrong. Rune looks to Dollars and Unite with an expression like she doesn’t really know what to say to her response.

“Oh, Ok… Well, we wanted to stop by as we are on our way there now. If he is there perhaps we will run into him on the way there”, says Dollars trying to save the situation.

“Oh, yes! Tell him my regards as well if you happen to see him”, says Clarinette trying to brighten up the mood herself. “I hope you guys have a nice day today. I’m not sure what will happen from the meeting with those at Nijin, but hopefully it is something productive”. Clarinette then wish them goodbye, and the Gods went on with their trek to the castle. Clarinette looked at them as they walked away, and as she got the kids in the house she let out a small sigh, and closed the door. .

Dollars, Rune, and Unite walked along the main rode to the castle, and Rune expressed some guilt for feeling like she cause distress in Clarinette, but Unite tried to reassure her that she didn’t know. However, they should of foreseen that the Nijin and Kokyo meeting could perhaps not be public knowledge. They questioned why it wouldn’t be, but they could be wondering all day and never get to the answer. All they can do is meet up with The King.

The Gods made their way closer to the gate of the castle, and as they gotten closer they saw a peculiar gathering of citizens outside the gates looking beyond to the castle. As they approached some of the guards recognized them and motioned to other guards to open the gate. As they did so they also motioned to the crowd to step aside and make a way for them to walk through. As they did Dollars motioned to the guards by raising his hand in a  sign of greeting. However, as the Gods walked closer to the gate one of the guards who was looking at them funny called out to them.

“Hey, I thought we already let you in awhile ago?”, said one of the guards. The Gods had no idea what he was talking about. They motioned to Dollars pointing at him as if the guard had seen him before.

“We are too meet with The King about the meeting with Nijin. This is the first time we have arrived. What are you talking about exactly?”, said Dollars.

“Oh! OK. Haha. Maybe I am just going crazy today but I could have sworn earlier someone that looked alot like you came by with that same request tho”, said the guard. He nodded yes, and as he said this the Gods got instantly alarmed.

“Is what you say true?”, said Dollars.

“Yes. I am the only guard here from the rotation a few hours ago. The crowd you see here before you for some reason formed after that fellow came to the gate. They all seemed to of recognized him, but I didn’t. I am not from this kingdom”, said one of the guards. Soon as he said this something clicked in all of the Gods; They knew exactly who could of came, but don’t know why it would be him.

“The person who walked through prior to us was one of us. Please let us through”, said Dollars trying to pass by quickly without really thinking of the repercussions of him saying that. They gave them the ok to pass through and rushed through the gate swiftly and up to Kokyo Castle. Dollars especially was very frantic and concerned of the current situation. Dollars then yelled, “What in the hell would Midas be here? This wasn’t a part of the plan!”. Rune and Unite looked towards him in worry and continued forwards through the Castle doors and up to see The King.

As they made their way to The King’s chamber they past by many soldiers who looked at them funny and with worry. Some clearly wondering what they were doing in such a hast. But unknown to them they had a very good reason to be hastful because as they opened the closed doors to The King’s chamber there they saw The King, who had his head laid on his arm which was elbow down on the armrest of his throne with his legs crossed, some nobles and soldiers- one of them being Trumpete, and Midas. As the doors open all the members in the room turned around. This was the very moment Midas locked eyes with Dollars and gave him a angry smirk as if he just caught him doing something bad.

“Green... Well, it looks like I ran little too late with my meeting with King Marvelous. I was hoping to not run into you here”, said Midas, enraging Dollars even more.

“Midas, what in the _hell_ are you doing here?!”, said Dollars. Suddenly, The King uncrossed his legs from where he was sitting to get out of his relaxed sitting position.

“He was informing me of crucial information that at this point I am not entirely sure that you were trying to keep from me Dollars”, said King Marvelous as he rose up from his throne. He walked down the steps of his throne to stand beside Midas. “You know, you have a lot of nerve to waltz into my throne- my kingdom, expect me to just bow down to you, and change whatever things I had in place and the whole time you had an ulterior motive.”

“King, you must understand-”, said Dollars, being cut off.

“Silence! You Gods are all the same. I applaud you for not acting out your ‘God given rights’ on me, but I agreed to get service form you- to trust you, and to agree to talk with The King of Nijin because I believed you had my best interests at heart.  You knew about Nijin’s aspiration to destroy the valley had we not agreed to their terms? That is where our whole kingdom’s resources come from, and you let that fate rest upon the shoulders of barbaric heathens? You Gods forsake our part of The Spirit World and now you risk our survival?”, said The King to Dollars and group, as he continues to walk towards Dollars, and past Midas.

“... We were trying to stop a war. Which is what we have been telling you this whole time”, said Dollars. We begins to walk towards The King slowly. “If you can resolve your tension with Nijin- no, every kingdom you seem to have issues with, than you won’t need to go to such lengths to obtain survival”. The King scoffs at Dollars’ response.

“Ha! We? The people of Kokyo? Resolve issues with them? They are the issue not us. But I’m sure they have filled your head with lies and fallacies so I dare not to try and argue with you since anyone that helps our enemy is an enemy”, said The King. Suddenly. Rune steps forward behind Dollars.

“But what of Midas? Why do you not lecture him the same?”, said Rune pointing to Midas.

“Worry not of him. When he came into my throne room I will admit I was surprised, but he came with a means to apologize for his actions that he said he didn’t realize he truly caused due to his recent attempts to help us. In turn for forgiveness he told us about what the rest of you Gods were planning behind my back. But rest assured, this was not without a ‘lecture’ Goddess”, said The King. He then turns half way to face Midas. “I question all of you Gods. But, he at least told me the truth. Something that _you all_ did not”. Dollars is placed in a very tight situation now; His plan is busted and The King could easily go to war with Nijin now which means their mission will fail, and its all Midas’ fault. As this happens, Unite looks over to the guards to see Trumpete and notices he is glancing at Dollars fairly odd. He then looks towards Unite, and his face gets angered and makes a quiet grunt towards him in distaste. Unite can tell that Trumpete must not be to keen of the Gods secretly helping Nijin as well, them being Gods in the first place, and they were very close to his family. Unite looks towards The King, and sighs.

“We were aware of the extremities Nijin’s plan was, which is why we, as a collective, agreed on a way to handle it in a way that will not jeopardize any party involved. Our hope was to not impose on you, and our hope was to not lose your trust. This tactic was the best we could think of in the events given to us”, said Unite trying to break the tension in the room.

“ _We_ didn’t all think of that plan Rainbow and you know that”, said Midas angered by his words.

“Well I guess you wouldn’t have a way to agree to our plans when you were more interested in snooping around the valley the whole time”, said Dollars. As he said this The King, the guards, and Midas all got a shocked look on their faces. Midas did not tell The King that, and as he reacted to the revelation he fully turned to face Midas.

“... You did not tell me that”, said The King. Midas looked away from The King in that moment.

“Oh? Did he also not tell you the whole reason Nijin has been in such a high alert, and what had lead them to even think of destroying the valley WAS because of Midas? That since he was sneaking around the valley on his own accord Nijin officials believed he was Kokyo operatives?”, said Dollars. The King suddenly got angered, and disappointed.

“I don’t know who to trust in this room…”, said The King. As this goes on Dollars can slowly feel how he truly lost all the trust The King had in them, and it was all because of Midas. Dollars stars Midas down. Midas feels the heat coming from Dollars’ eyes.

“Please King. We know what we have done, but we still assure you we have had your best interest at heart. We as Gods cannot do favoritism when we care about the whole race”, said Unite.

“Care? The Gods have been vacant from most of The Spirit World for ages. Not to mention the stories I have heard from lucky beings that have managed to get to The Spirit World from The Human Plain that you Gods also completely abandoned them. What are you talking about?”, said The King. Unite backed up a little, unable to think of a right response from that as he was right.

“... We are aware of the actions of are fellow Gods and predecessors. We are trying to change that King”, said Dollars.

“I heard legends of a God named Plutus that would tend to The Spirit World often, but that is just a legend- a myth. I did not care to stick around long enough to see if such a thing was true but I placed those feelings to the side when you Gods came to my kingdom. Gold Plutus, the one you call Midas, came here when he aided before and introduced himself as one with the mythed Plutus. I wasn’t sure entirely you were tied with him Dollars until now- I disregarded your appearance and what was said due to you both never appearing here at the same time. That, and your demeanors couldn’t be any different. Simply put- if these were the attempts of the mythed then perhaps it has been good they stayed so”, said The King. Rune took this as an insult to Father Plutus and began to walk forwards more, but Unite stopped her. Dollars looked back at Rune as she did this, and as Unite stopped her he turned back to Midas.

“Midas, what were you thinking?”, said Dollars to Midas.

“To get my ideas heard. You cannot have control without power, and I gave them the power to control their situation; with knowledge in turn for a compromise, Green”, said Midas.

“What?! Listen here-”, said Dollars before he was cut off once more.

“It’s true. He didn’t just come here to rat you guys out, he came with a proposition”, said The King. As he said that Dollars and the group stood back a bit in surprise. “He offered the info in exchange for my knowledge of the valley, and to not go against your plan, Dollars”. As he said that Dollars, Unite and Rune were completely shocked at what he said. Unite began to think that compromise fits completely into his plan, while also aiding Dollars. That scenario is something he honestly would never expect from Dollars. It was almost like a non-selfish act; completely against Midas’ characters. It made him think there is still apart of Dollars that is for the team.

“Really?”, said Dollars. Midas began to walk towards Dollars with a smirk.

“I thought my approach was the best ‘meet you halfway’ idea I could think of- which is more than you can say because you would of never acted out any idea I had”, said Midas. However, Midas began to laugh to himself; seemingly thinking of a bigger interest.

“Yes, he did. However-”, said The King cutting himself off. As he did this Midas, and the rest of the Gods look towards him. “... I only intend to keep _half_ that promise”. Suddenly Midas got a little worried and irritated. He didn’t know in what way he meant that.

“... You said that if I revealed what the Gods have been hiding you telling me what I wanted to know would not be disputed any longer”, said Midas, revealing he was not yet told what he wanted to Dollars and the group.

“Ahahaha. Midas was it? Oh why I do love your determination to get what you want, but since you all have hid from me... I shall hide from you”, said The King with a smirk on his face. This angers Midas.

“Why you-”, said Midas, before the guards became alert of him attempting to walk back towards The King. In the same moment The King raised his hand to stop all of them.

“Ah ah ah. Now calm yourself God. You guys don’t get my sense of humor and style, which is sad. Let me finish. Now, rest assure Dollars I will be meeting with Nijin’s King to discuss not fighting in a war. And, Midas, I will be telling you about the valley”, said The King. However, this left both Dollars and Midas confused; how can he tell them both that but he plans to not follow one of them?

“What do you mean?”, said both Dollars and Midas. As they said that simultaneously they looked at eachother and quickly looked away in disgust.

“Perhaps you might want to attend this meeting Gods, because there you will find our the truth about what Nijin did. I bet you have noticed how desolate the land beyond out two kingdoms are. Have you ever thought that might be due to the kingdom that is said to be ‘one with the land’? What I can tell you is what they are guarding at that valley is the reason for that, and probably what has lead to our Kyoline running to shit”, said The King. As he said that Midas turned to Dollars almost in shock.

“Are you sure what the things Nijin told Aristocrat and Erudite are the truth?”, said Midas. Dollars, however, couldn't’ really respond as he didn’t know himself. He simply looked at Midas as he talked. As The King said that he proceeded to walk back up near his throne and stood near it. Suddenly Dollars shook his head to snap out of it and looks towards The King as he walks.

“Hold on, so if you told us about the valley what does that mean about the meeting?”, said Dollars. The King laughed as he sat back down on his throne.

“I will still go…”, said The King. As he finished that phrase he moved his right arm to reach on the side of his throne and pressed a button mechanism on the side, which glowed red after he pressed it. “The meeting between me and The King of Nijin will not end in war I assured you. But, that’s because when that meeting is over Nijin won’t even have a chance to retaliate to even _have_ a war”. As he said that Dollars freaked out, and so did the other Gods- besides Midas. In his mind, Midas thinks must have decided the information over the agreement. However, he still was going to meet with them, so Midas was still confused.

“So you pulled the truth a bit . When you meant you were following half… Were you only going to follow half of one of my compromises?”, said Midas.

“Close, I’m going to follow half of _both_ ”, said the King. As he said this Midas got angered once again for hearing his stupid wordplay tricks and realizing how he was duped. “You wanna know the whole truth you will find out after i pry it from Nijin’s cold dead hands”. As he says that the room vibrates almost putting everyone on their feet. The guards seem to of been used to this phenomenon and were the less shaken. Suddenly, white light appears vertically along The King’s throne.

“Oh, and I no longer want you to escort me to the meeting spot. I planned to go there by myself”, said The King. As the light got brighter and brighter around him he suddenly vanished. The room still continues to shake and the Gods are thrown off by what is happening.

“What is going on here?”, said Rune. “Trumpete! Answer us!”, she calls off to Trumpete as he stands there holding back his tongue the whole meeting.

“The King is very disappointed in your actions with the demon Nijin. He had discussed your potential betrayal a couple times as you were helping us Kokyo civilians out, but I chose to not believe you would until I got hard evidence. King Marvelous initiated a kingdom-wide alert; this alert is signaled when forces need to be mobilized immediately for battle. The tremors you feel? Are our underground and air facilities preparing for a counter-attack, as he pre-prepared our army for today just in case already. I had hope he wouldn’t need to, but I see now that he did,” said Trumpete. The Gods are in disbelief by what they hear.

“Trumpete, I-... No, I will not explain myself in this situation any longer. What matters more is that we need to stop conflict. Where did he go? We were to escort him!”, said rune to Trumpete.

“King Marvelous actually has teleportation powers brought on by the gems he wears. He can summon refracted light through them from another source in the kingdom where more of those same gems are and get ‘pulled’ through them to where it's at. Essentially he can teleport to points using conductors. His magic is very strong- even for a Godian. I can only imagine he teleported to one of those points to meet up with The King of Nijin before you could reach him”, said Trumpete giving insight on The King. Rune, and Unite are distraught. Dollars however, focuses his attention to Midas, and fills with rage. He walks up to him and pushes him.

“Do you see what you have done again Midas?! You messed this up big time. Nijin are practically walking into a trap now!”, said Dollars.

“They were always walking into a trap you dumbass. I don’t know why they agreed to have the meeting within enemy territory, but they must of had means to defend. These points influenced my decision greatly. Green Plutus, Once I found out they planned to destroy the valley this became a God’s problem. It could be detrimental to have them destroy the intel they could get there- especially after learning about what The King said just now,” said Midas. Dollars, enraged, placed his hands on Midas’ shoulders.

“Are you really kidding me?!  Oh my fucking goooooooooooood!”, said Dollars, venting out his frustration. Midas shrugged to get Dollars’ hands off of him.

“What’s done is done,” said Midas.

“You… You expected them to do this. You weren’t shocked when they still wanted to fight them. He wasn’t going to keep the promise to not go to war with Nijin and you knew that!”, said Dollars, punching Midas in the face. Unite jumped over to hold back Dollars from hitting him any further. The force from the punch makes Midas fall to the ground and leaves a dent on his golden face, but stands up after Unite is standing in between him and Dollars.

“Listen- I didn’t want to run into you. I thought in the commission I could find out the truth. And with that knowledge end everything for good. Which is what I’m going to do still. I went to Nijin’s border before I went to Kokyo’s actually I didn’t come straight here. THEY are ready for retaliation too Dollars what don’t you get?! They were in the middle of hiding their faces when i got there. Aristocrat and Erudite probably don’t know a thing. Fucking idiots. I know my methods go against the grain but this is what we Gods-”, said Midas as he was cut off by Unite turning around and slapping him across the face. The shockwave of the slap was enough to comedically realine Midas’ face. This event shocked Rune, Midas, and Dollars.

“R-Rainbow?!”, said Midas, in disbelief. As he says this Unite walks towards Midas.

“I tried to do this with the least amount of violence. I did not want to hit you, but your selfish words lead me to it and I am _not_ sorry. I don’t know what you are plotting- no, I do, but i don’t know why you are so hell bent in doing all of this when I have been trying to keep all of us TOGETHER. Your actions split us apart. Noble and Maxwell have NO idea what they are walking into. The forces back at our base? While they are prepared for a fight won’t be prepared for finding out that YOU caused it,” said Unite. As his finished talking Midas stood there still in shock; he didn’t expect Unite to hit him. He has never seen Unite really get angered by the rest of the Gods before. However, Unite sighed, and placed his hand on the area he slapped Midas with and used him energy to numb the pain he caused. “... We have to go fix this. You, for once, can you just stay out of this Midas?”.

As he said that Unite walked back towards the door they all came in and signalled to Dollars and Rune to come. Dollars looked at Midas with a stare of disappointment, and followed behind Unite and so did Rune. However, as they walked two guards near the exit moved to stand in front of the door, blocking the way out. They all turned around back to Trumpete in surprise.

“What is the meaning of this?”, said Dollars.

“... We… Have also received orders. If this event were to happen, to let no God leave this room; whether it be just Midas, or others”, said Trumpete. Midas pauses in disbelief, and then starts to laugh.

“You Godians think you can hold back a GOD? I am laughing at your shame and ignorance”, said Midas.

“No… We can’t. But the technology of Kokyo can”, said Trumpete. As he said that the guards all brought out special, gem-covered weapons from seals using magic, and readied them in front of the Gods. Trumpete himself brought out a machete-looking blade out from his seal, as well as a trumpet.

“We only use these weapons scarcely to preserve them- especially after we ran out of Kyoline. These our are Anti-Spirit Weapons that we have new newly engineered. We use these to combat other kingdoms in battle. Many Godians have spiritual powers, and our state-of-the-art technology combats that. These new models were tricked out with gems that The King managed to salvage from the valley. Only a few Kokyo soldiers have access to these,” said Trumpete, ready to fight. Realizing the situation at hand Dollars’ first instinct was to blow a hole through the roof of the room they were in. He signalled to Midas with a glare, which gave him the idea to shoot his gold-like magic towards the ceiling ( _Midas has one of the quickest powers, second to only Mob, due to him being able to release it in a liquid-like state which increases speed by sacrificing durability and defence_ ). As he materialized Gold to shoot upwards it collided with the roof. After the dust settled they realized the roof was still intact. Shocked, the Gods began to get frantic and Midas got mad. Why would his own God-like magic not work?

“Oh yea... The King also gave orders to other guards outside the domain of the throne room to cover it in a seal with the same structure as our weapons. Essentially, until The King says otherwise no one gets in, nobody gets out- even Gods”, said Trumpete. Dollars began to feel the tension and became worried of what the Gods might have to do in this situation.

“Do you really want to do this?”, said Dollars to Trumpete in disbelief and sadness that he might have to fight him.

“I am indebted to you three for helping out my wife, children and I. However, this is not the aspirations of Trumpete, but the will of The King acted out by his loyal followers. I’m disappointed it has to come to this”, said Trumpete. He then materialized a white and blue mask and places it it on his head. Internally, Trumpete does this to get himself in a difference mindset when he needs to kill. It was a way of mentally training himself, but making up a false persona with the mask. This was shown as he became more blood thirsty. “Men, attack!”, shouted Trumpete to the guards in the room. They all ran towards the gods with their weapons to fight them, and keep them at bay.

“After all we have done… And it comes to this,” said Rune.

“I agree. We might need to use more fire power if Midas’ attack did not easily burst through their barrier seal. We also need to subdue the guards in the room while also attempting to break the barrier. However, we cannot go overboard! We cannot kill them, nor can be release so much energy it disrupts the area around them” said Dollars to Rune, Unite and Midas ( _While they are lower tier Gods they still have a lot of power. Gods can easily obliterate large scale areas using natural means, so its best they do not use so much power they destroy the entire kingdom_ ). A guard launched a spear at Midas and he dodged away, leading him to back up and face his back towards Dollars’ back. Unite and Rune then backed up near them as well. Dollars then turned his head to Midas’ direction and said, “Are you gonna abandon us again, Midas?”.

“Are you serious? I’m fucking trapped too Green, and my magic did not work. I didn’t necessarily launch a weak blow you know. I got a bit angry and used more power than I wanted and it didn’t work. This is pissing me off... I have no choice but to _not_ abandon you. I didn’t see this coming at all”, said Midas to Dollars as he summons a staff made out of gold material. “However, this will be annoying. I can’t release too much power or else I’ll kill them and every fucking person in this castle. They would deserve it though for them having this plan against Gods”, boasted Midas.

“Well, I guess I can count on these odds to force you to have my back for once,” said Dollars.

“Shut up, and fight!”, said Rune attempting to stop Dollars and Midas from arguing, “Just try and make an opening for me”. The other Gods knew what she was talking about when she said that, and got focused to fight. Rune unsheathes her weapon from its holster, and Unite powers up. The Gods have to now prepare to fight against the very people they tried to protect, and the one Godian they have already saved.

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -4/13/2018-  
> *This is the chapter I hinted at some time ago, as I intended to reveal interesting dialog in it and release it on this specific day. I didn't intend to upload other chapters with it today but that is how it came about. The title is a reference of it being Chapter 13, it uploaded on Friday the 13th, and alot of unlucky things happen because of Midas. Enjoy!* -@Sonicravenx


	14. The Green Thumb, and The Midas Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The battle in The King of Kokyo's throne room ensues, and The Gods engages in combat with the resistance places to keep them there while an even greater plan is acted out..."

Scars on the floor and walls from sword wounds populate the room, and embers from casted fire magic glissen around the fighters and area as the fight ensues on. In total, accounting for Trumpete there is about 14 soldier guards in the room surrounding Dollars, Unite, Rune and Midas; Initially 5 on each side of the room with their backs to the walls, two at The King’s throne, and two at the door in which they entered. The room is windowless- or if there really was the Gods wouldn’t know in the case the seal around the room created the illusion that there was no windows. Trumpete stood next to two guards in the middle of the room in view of all who were inside of it. They and Dollars were in a deadlock; Midas was standing beside Dollars while looking out over the room for incoming soldiers, Rune fending off those who were near the throne to the left of the room, and Unite near the door with two. Midas held a golden staff in his hands that he had created from his malleable gold, Rune grips her katana in both hands in a stance that had her closer to the ground, and Unite and Dollars were weaponless.

Rune was ready for any slightest move towards her, and prepared as 4 guards slowly approached her once more. Rune cannot find an opening she needs to do the idea she had in mind. Suddenly, they all fired off fire magic at her sending fireballs in each direction to her in the middle. Tactifully, Rune spins around and manages to deflect the magic back the way it came using her blade to bounce it back sending the fireballs back at the soldiers.

“That will not work”, said Rune. However, she thought to herself how much force even the magic they send off is, and keeps that in mind as she balances how much force she uses so she does not kill them. Suddenly, a guard swiftly appears above the back of Rune’s head with a blade aimed at her blind spot. Rune, quickly alerted, turns around and crashes her blade into the guard’s pushing it away from her. She then jumped in the air and kicked him away while doing a backflip off of his body to then strike another guard that was behind her while she was still upside-down. Rune, as she continues to engage herself with these guards has yet to use her magic; she didn’t want to risk killing them so for the time being she was using just melee attacks. She quickly glanced around the room and found that there was 5 guards on standby watching the rest of them fight, and that currently she had the most guards currently on her but most the guards on standby were watching diligently for Trumpete to make a call for them all to rush Dollars and Midas. However, she had little time to dwell on this as the guards quickly came rushing back at her. Rune could easily handle being outnumbered, as she had experience in these types of combat scenarios, but what threw her off was in fact the Anti-Spirit Weapons. With every clash she could feel strain, as if there was a force hitting up against her blade that was slightly rejecting her own existence. Gods themselves are of a different tier clearly than spirits, but Gods do fall within the realm of spiritual-like beings. While this tech probably wasn’t created specifically to fend them off it seems to have at least a percentage of succession. Rune thought to herself, “ _These, with enough finesse and time, could develop into Anti-God Weapons_ ”. Rune really started to ponder what these Godians’ purpose for these weapons could be.

Rune sheathed her blade, and attempted to grab one of the Anti-Spirit Weapons that a guard had, and managed to blitz one to snatch a spear. She held it in her hand and could feel the energy emitting from the gem-infused weapon fighting against the spiritual energy that rests within her body. However, this was not nearly enough to faze her, and used it to strike the guard she took it from sending him flying into a wall. The guards got more serious as she had their weapon in her hands and the 3 ones still standing rushed at her. As they rushed her Rune stomped her foot on the ground, using her earth-elemental powers to send shockwaves through the ground to make them stumble. She rushes over, spins, and slashes all three of them at once making them fall back to the ground. However, as she did so she was slashed on her left arm by the soldier she sent flying just before. He had a second, smaller blade and was very quick on his feet. She jumped back, and analyzed the cut on her arm by the blade- not because she was really wounded, but to understand what the blade could do to a Gods’ body. It was a very small cut- that of a scrape, but she could tell that her body was not perfectly resilient to the weapons. She stands up from her crouched position, and begins to bend the spear at the blade and breaks it with ease, which shocks the guards around her. She then crushes the bladed part in her left hand with brute force and begins to rush them once more.

Rune’s plan now is to crush all their weapons so they have nothing to fight with, which will make them lose their moral. She engage with a guard, evading all their attacks, and punches one straight in the face, sending him on the ground. Two other guards try to rush her from each side, and she unsheathes her blade, spins around once more, and slashes each one away from her. The fourth guard tries to take her from the back, and as she glances back at them she then grabs talismans from her garb, and throws it at all four of the guards simultaneously and causes each one to explode. The commotion is enough to make all the rest of the fighters look over at what she did.

“I thought our goal was to _not_ kill them?”, said Midas in a condescending, but smirk-like tone. Trumpete immediately gets concerned with his fellow men’s condition and attempts to rush to them, along with two other guards, but Dollars and Midas stop Trumpete and the guards near them from getting any closer. Also, Unite stops the ones that were around him as well. But more guards that were on standby rush over to Rune, and Unite makes it a goal to meet up with Rune in the room. As the smoke clears you see four guards on the floor with all their weapons broke, but each were still conscious. Rune stood there as calm as ever, but as she saw through the smoke she saw people all staring at her- Midas with a smirk.

“... They aren’t dead are they? So what are you looking at? I’ve grown tired of this redundant clashing in favor for a new idea. Handle your own fight”, said Rune specifically to Midas. This gave her an opening she needed, and as the guards struggle to get up she run over to a vacant wall. She then places a talisman on the wall and activates the seal. Her magic begins to run through the walls, and suddenly Trumpete and the guards realize what she is plotting.

“Get her!”, screams Trumpete. 5 guards off to the side continue to run after her in the wake of the 4 guards left dazed on the floor. Some continue to rush after while some help up the guards that were on the floor. Unite suddenly appears behind the guard that was running behind all the rest and maneuvers them to the ground. The guards near the door were also running in direction of Rune, and Unite uses offensive techniques to strike them back. Unite’s powerful attacks are so brutal that they leave cracks on the guards’ armor.

“I got your back Rune”, said Unite. Rune begins to keep placing talismans around the room with the intention of trying to dispel the seal outside with a counter-seal inside. With everyone realizing her plan she became the most important person in the room, as she is the only one that could actually do that; brute force will not take out the seal- that is, if they don’t try and destroy the entire castle area in the process. Unite gets the opening he needs to fend off the guards, and Rune now switches to an evasion tactic by running away from guards pursuing her instead of trying to take them out. The guards she took down with her explosions, while weaponless, are up and able to fend her off as well with weapons they were given to them by other guards.

Unite stands there against 5 guards ready to defend against them. He opts to first be in a defensive stance and uses his aura to influence the guards attacking him to be focused on him.  With the guards unable to focus on anything but him he used his swift movement and strong blows to easily knock down the 5 guards and secure an opening for him to assist Rune once more. At the same time, Midas and Dollars continue to fend off Trumpete and the two guards that were trying to apprehend Rune. Trumpete rushes in at both Midas and Dollars using everything he gots to strike them, but both Gods are very swift on their feet. This starts to get increasingly annoying for Trumpete as even with the usage of spells he cannot lay a finger of either of them. He starts to question why, to which Dollars forms a grin. This is actually an attribute to Dollars’ power of luck. At some point during the fight he had touched Midas as well with his unique thumb, and with that enchanted him as well. With this high probability of luck they have Dollars ensured that a positive outcome would be in their favor, and thus Trumpete’s attacks would not land. This worked in tandem with midas as he used his gold to ricochet across the area striking the guards with better precision by increasing the probability his attacks would land. Dollars also had a knock for being prosperous as well, and could increase the rate Midas could form his gold which he would use to strike the room around him attempting to still escape, but to no avail. In the chances where his luck faltered, blows would strike Dollars specifically. The drawback to his luck is that unlucky situations will be drawn towards him even when directed at other people. However, with his prosperity he could ‘prosper’ through the attacks and allow them to strike his body to halt the attacks. He would use this opportunity to break the weapons the guards had with brute strength. This combination was able to strike Trumpete down on his back cracking his mask, and the two guards attempted to get him back up on the floor. As they did that Dollars grabbed his Anti-Spirit Weapon. Dollars could also feel the weapons trying to repel his own existence- similar to Rune. However, his ability rolled odds in his favor. Dollars began to use his natural nature ability to analyze and synthesize with it, with the goal to become more resistant to the technology. With doing so, be broke the weapon after harnessing enough spirit energy to ward off the technology possessed in his weapon. Dollars then shared the luck he gained with Midas.

“Curse you Gods! I cannot believe you apprehended our Kings’ technology!”, said Trumpete with fear riddling his voice. As the adrenaline from the protection of technology wore off he could now feel the true might of the two Gods towarding over him as his own means of defence was now thwarted. As Trumpete laid almost defeated on the floor the other guards’ moral started to lower immensely. However, Trumpete wasn’t going down without a fight. He soon got back up and materialized another weapon from his arsenal of seals. This time, it was a chainsaw. As he reeved the saw up Dollars sighed, as he still does not want to cause these Godians too much damage, but if they will continue to stand up when they strike him down they have no choice. They prepare for what might just be round 2, Rune continues to place the talismans, and Unite successfully regroups back up with her in the room as 7 guards gang up on them. All the rest of the guards head to backup Trumpete’s fight with Dollar’s and Midas, splitting up the guards 7 to 7.

 _As the battle continues_ Rune manages to set close to 6 talismans around the room, and she predicts she will need about 12 to dispel the seal outside with her counter-seal. She is getting ready to place a 7th one, then suddenly a giant sound tremors the entire room as if it’s rippling through the whole castle area. “ _BOOM!_ ”, they all heard and felt. This made all of them stop in their tracks.

“What the fuck was _that_?!”, said Midas. Suddenly, Trumpete laughs.

“The counter attack must be beginning against those ravenous Nijin. Our kingdom is fit with the finest tech this province of The Spirit World could ask for. Turrets and ships that can easily shoot homing missiles at any nearby forces, and with a lot of Nijin’s forces within our circumference I’m sure that was the start of war”, said Trumpete as he starts to laugh. Rune couldn’t fathom that the could be too late to stop what is about to happen and yells frantically that they need to get out of here quickly. Rune starts to wonder what is happening with Noble and Maxwell, as they should be right there with both Kings of Kokyo and Nijin. As the rumbling won’t stop, this leave a lot of doubt in all the Gods. Dollars rushes Trumpete to the ground- knocking his chainsaw away, and grabs ahold of his chest clothing strongly.

“Are you seriously happy this happening? Innocent people could die over silly egos! Your own kingdom could be in danger! Please, let us out we are only trying to help everyone!”, pleaded Dollars to Trumpete trying to make him understand his stance once more.

“Our kingdom’s defences and people all deep down were prepared for this. It is what they wanted as we are tired of living in fear of brutes _AND_ and of those higher up that are ok with their action. Kokyo is far superior to Nijin, so the civilians have nothing to worry about and have been pre evacuated to safe shelters”, said Trumpete.

“Are you sure these are the ideals of the common folk? Your wife? Your children? Or, are you just blind?”, said Dollars. This question of Trumpete family and his loyalty to King marvelous angered him ever more so, and headbutted Dollars to get him off of him. As he did so he grabbed his chainsaw and stabbed him in the chest with it. Midas grabbed Dollars a little bit too late, but managed to push him away from the blades enough to not get to cut deeply. Dollars is thrown back on the ground and Midas strikes Trumpete away from them.

“... Are you ok?”, said Midas seemingly concerned with Dollars, “You are bleeding”.

“Owch… Yea, I’m fine. Nothing remotely serious, but it does sting. My body isn’t as reinforced as yours is. That weapon is stronger than his last one, so be careful”, said Dollars. As he stands up he walks next to Midas. The 7 guards all surround them, and soon they face back to back once more. When they feel the slightest movement closer to them they both pounce back at the guards on full offense. The Gods’ battles now have fanfare of explosions being set up in the distance and faint screams of war in the background. This was now a race against the clock, and they had to escape this throne room quickly before it is too late...

 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -6/6/2018-  
> *The title is very interesting when you think about the physicality of this chapter, and how both Dollars and Midas' powers are very 'touch' oriented.  
> I had this chapter pre-written for a very long time ago but I forgot to upload it, so here you go!*- @Sonicravenx


	15. Inter-Ultimatum Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The meeting between the two Kings is about to be underway, and Noble and Maxwell are leading it. However, as this meeting begins the truth comes out, and suddenly it is out of the hands of the Gods."

_Moments before Dollars, Midas, Rune, & Unite started to hear the tremors from outside the throne room… _

Noble and Maxwell have successfully escorted the Nijin convoy fleet to the territory of Kokyo. It is custom for a King of a kingdom to always be accompanied by a fleet or two when going anywhere. They had been anticipated in full by Kokyo, and they prepared a special area to meet out in the outskirts of Kokyo City in their special **International Meeting Facility** built by King Marvelous specifically for entertaining other kingdom leaders within its walls. This, of course, was more more frequent when at a time where the surrounding provinces of kingdoms were more friendly towards each other. It rests within a forest and forestation has overtaken parts of the structures. While it has been rarely used, it is said to be one of the most expensive areas within Kokyo itself. On top of the facility rests a giant rainbow-colored gem . The facility has a giant courtyard for all of Nijin’s fleet to dwell inside of, with some airships docks above waiting to land. The King of Nijin is somewhat calm and collected seeing how the defenses for kingdom of Kokyo seemed minimize for their arrival as courtesy. As The King of Nijin awaited for King Marvelous to appear Noble and Maxwell lamented to themselves at their task almost being complete. Dollars and company were to arrive with The King of Kokyo any moment, and were told they would appear through the teleportation chamber that was at the base of the courtyard ahead of them. This was an interesting invention in Maxwells eyes. However, as the teleportation machine started to emit energy signaling it was about to transport someone through, they caught a glimpse at who was transported through it. To their surprise it was only unfamiliar faces to Noble or Maxwell. What came out was Kokyo soldiers, The King of Kokyo, but _no_ Gods. This puzzled Noble and Maxwell as this was the first deviation from plan, but did not want to be on any type of alert to risk anything and motioned for The King of Nijin to approach The King of Kokyo.

When the forces of Kokyo and Nijin meet in the courtyard there there was much hesitation and resistance in the air. King Marvelous had a smug look on his face, while The King of Nijin kept his composer very well despite being uneasy. This hasn’t been the first time The King of Nijin has stepped foot within Kokyo walls, but had two hopes; 1, that this time would fair better than the last time, and 2, that this would be his last time doing so. Reluctantly, The King of Nijin thanked King Marvelous for this event taking place as well as his understanding, and that they hope their representatives and themselves can come to a conclusion. King Marvelous turned around, walking towards the entrance to the facility applauding his stature and wit to think this far into his plan. The Gods turned their heads in confusion to what he really meant by that remark, but suddenly before they could really think much into it King Marvelous stopped walking and turned back around facing The King of Nijin. More confusion filled the area, and then The King spoke.

“King of Nijin, it seems you didn’t think as far into your plan as you should have, or who have been there helping you along the way”, said King Marvelous. As he said that Kokyo soldiers surrounding them all gotten in an alerted stance, and instantly afterwards Nijin operatives did as well. Both Noble and Maxwell were caught off guard as they had no idea what was about to happen.

“King of Kokyo! What is going on right now?! Stand down your men before you cause this to get hostile!”, said Noble. King Marvelous laughs.

“ _Me_? Make it hostile? I’m afraid this has already escalated to a point of hostility I cannot bare by you Nijins and Nijin affiliate from the intel I obtained before our meeting just now”, said King Marvelous. Noble and Maxwell became surprised, and wondered what he was talking about. the King continues, “I was informed that our meeting was only going to lead to an ultimatum on your part, and that we were expected to just fall in line. Ha! Like I would let you play me for a fool!”. Suddenly, The King of Nijin could tell where this was getting at, and what he might know. The King of Nijin then tried to elaborate on his intentions, which were in fact that they planned to erase their conflict they have been fighting over for so long if they couldn’t finally come to some middle ground. He had hopes that King Marvelous would throw his ego to the side in spite of all the problems they caused. But, King Marvelous wasn’t hearing any of it. Noble and Maxwell demanded to know what was going on as they were the reps for The King of Nijin and his kingdom. The King of Kokyo informed them of what Midas had told him, and that he is aware that in actuality the Gods have been playing both kingdoms. This info startled The King of Nijin, with in learning the truth and that they were truly Gods, and forced himself to back away from the Gods. The Gods had to then come clean unexpectedly on their plan to aid both kingdoms, but it didn’t help the situation. Noble and Maxwell were not aware at all that Midas had even left base, and were very worried about Dollars and company’s whereabouts if they were not there with The King of Kokyo; especially if Midas had messed things up for everyone.

The King of Nijin tried effortlessly to explain their stance once more and concluded that if Kokyo could not stop their actions that they would move ahead with their plan to destroy the Valley of Value. He further explained that Kokyo should not take Nijin lightly as if they came into their kingdom empty handed. If Kokyo doesn’t agree to a compromise that Nijin will take that as an act of war as they knew that their plan to destroy the valley will result in such because of Kokyo’s dependence on the energies that come from there. The King of Kokyo was angered by Nijin’s threats and claimed that they are sitting ducks within the walls of Kokyo with all their military might, and that Nijin should reconsider their claims. However, The King of Nijin would not falter. Maxwell tried to get intel out of the situation about what was so special about this valley that this has to happen, to which King Marvelous informed them that the Nijins are heathens who have bend the rules of the realm for far too long on all Godians watches. The King of Nijin fired back by calling out the hypocrisy in their words, and that they had to do so much for the earth to restore what Kokyo has destroyed. However, when they questioned both Kings on what this issue possibly could be both would not divulge the info. In that moment, both Kings seemed to have a common agreement within their minds that out of everyone the Gods cannot partake in anything that is that valley. This started a unique type of three-way between the forces; with Kokyo against Nijin with the Gods attempting to stop both from fighting the other, while each side was also holding animosity towards the Gods. Noble and Maxwell were the most adept in tactical and strategic methods within the Gods, but were completely lost at what to do in this situation.

The King of Nijin warned King Marvelous that this was his last chance and offer to reconsider or else, to which he continued to laugh and tell Nijin that it was instead their last chance before he makes them all ‘bow down to his feet’. The King of Nijin saw this situation going nowhere, and instead gotten into an offensive stance ready to strike The King. The Gods tried their best to diffuse the situation and even threatened them that they are in fact gods, and that they do not want to have to use unfair methods to subdue them as it wasn’t their goal. Sadly, neither side cared about their comments.

Suddenly, King Marvelous snapped his fingers, and out in the distance of the facility within Kokyo City’s military district launched magical **Anti-Spirit Missiles** out from turrets that were all aiming for Nijin fleet stationed in the outskirts of Kokyo City and beyond back to their homeland. With The King of Kokyo making the first strike The King of Nijin then charged at King Marvelous with a javelin at break-neck speeds to stab him through his chest, but The King suddenly teleported away from his blow. He had dropped some gems on the floor behind The King of Nijin without him noticing, and suddenly appeared behind him ready to strike. But, before he could make contact Noble stopped his punch.

“Stop! Now! Call off your attack!”, said Noble.

“Get your hands off of me! You Gods might appear to be the upper echelon of beings in this world, but your mindset and tactics show nothing but primitive tomfoolery. But, at least some of you know how to be real. Had your little golden friend not warned me of this I would of been completely open to their attack”, said King Marvelous to Noble as he yanked his hand off of his own.

As they clash missiles rain down from the sky attacking fleet on the ground and sky air ships that have no docked yet. More powerful missiles are seen heading in the direction of Nijin itself, but The King of Nijin isn’t faltered by these weapons. Suddenly, multiple Nijin soldiers start to meditate and glow golden. Suddenly, barriers around the fleet are formed and a giant force field is erected in between Kokyo’s borders and outskirt land beyond that stops the missiles from going any closer towards their kingdom; they were brown in color. King Marvelous was shocked as this force field was giant and was a dome around a massive area around Nijin. As this happened portals out of the earth from around the land outside Kokyo’s borders and out came more Nijin fleet and land vehicles and beasts. They headed for the kingdoms walls as well as some heading towards the valley. Unknown to Nijin, King Marvelous had sent fleet to the valley as well to apprehend Nijin forces there and take the valley. As outer forces started to engage inner city Kokyo was already being evacuated for any impending damage. Kokyo soldiers guided the citizens into safety zones and as they were being evacuated you can see missiles flying in the sky, with explosions causes rumbled throughout the kingdom. These tremors got more and more great as Kokyo stopped being the only ones causing them. Nijin’s airships that still were within the area within the sky shot back with their own tech at Kokyo with such precision that they were able to land fairly close to Kokyo City.

This terror continued as Noble and Maxwell used what they could to stop both Kings and their fleets form fighting. Unknowingly to both Noble and Maxwell but both Kings were almost as combat savvy as they were ( _Noble, while fairly fit and strong wasn’t much of a fighter much a beacon of hope and virtue for those to follow with his politics. Maxwell was mainly just wits and knowledge and was weak compared to the other Gods_ ). This made it hard for them to counter their attacks especially because the Anti-Spirit tech that King Marvelous had was nothing like the other soldiers had, and this was technology that both Noble and Maxwell had only heard about in theory, and that this is the first time they are experiencing it. Maxwell had little to know intel on it and so they were at a huge disadvantage. Also, Nijins seem to have a natural akin to spiritual energy and so they could easily reject it as well. Both had anti-spirit phenomenon. Both kings continued to clash with each other- seemingly evenly matched, and Noble stepped into three-way clash with them with his shield and mace he carried. He attempted to use his powers of ‘persuasion of words’ to once again overturn the problem. But while they heeded his words their resolve was stronger, and self resolve with always win. Without the will for change and their own self resolve so strong he figured both were not in the state of reasoning, and finds this same problem within his own God companions, which is why his powers don’t always bloom with them. However, he did not give up and so didn’t Maxwell. He used his spells to bind fleet members around them from attacking each other as well as deactivate missiles flying towards others within the area. This became harder over time as both Kokyo and Nijin were targeting him, despite him trying to protect both. This situation lasted for a while before The King of Nijin decided for a ‘tactful retreat’ outside the walls of Kokyo, and so their whole Nijin fleet ran from The King of Kokyo and their fleet. King Marvelous didn’t know whether to laugh or scream in anger of them doing so, and so he decided to personally chase after them as they ran away. However, he was halted by Noble and Maxwell.

The King tried to demand them to move out of his way as they know what Nijin is bound to do if they do not stop them, but the Gods were not concerned with the outcome of the valley as they were stopping this senseless war. The King couldn’t take their resilience any longer, and ordered the men to strike them down immediately. Noble alerted him to not overlook the power of Gods, to which King Marvelous told the Gods to not overlook engineering of the Godians. He proved this so as when King Marvelous struck Noble with his gem-covered sword it left a gash on his arm, which was a shock to him. The resistance those weapons have to their God bodies was enough for Maxwell to alert noble to be careful of what they possess; not because they could actually kill them but do more damage than intended. Noble and Maxwell’s current goal was to allow Nijin to flee Kokyo and keep The King of Kokyo stationary long enough to get any whereabouts of Dollars and company. King Marvelous ordered his men to continue chasing them as he stayed there to fight them off. Some operatives did stay to await when The King would need backup but did not interfere in the fight as The King ordered them not to. As they stood there Noble couldn't get a little bit emotional towards himself for finally self realizing the failure that was his plan, and that he let everyone down. He felt ashamed, and more so knowing that the Gods were not able to prevent this from happening. Sensing this, Maxwell laid his arm on Noble’s shoulder, and looked at him in seriousness alerting him to snap out of it.  
Noble got the hint, and started to focus on the problem in front of him. King Marvelous laughed once more, and lamented that the Gods cannot beat his technology nor his ability. As he said that, he started to walk towards them, and the Gods embraced themselves. As he went closer he suddenly started to disappear as he geared up to teleport once more. He zipped passed him in attempt to escape, but when he reappeared Maxwell was right in front of him once more. Startled, The King back up once more from the gem that was placed on the ground by another soldier.

“You definitely through curve balls at us today, but it doesn’t take me much after seeing an ability once to formulate multiple ways to counter it”, said Maxwell. Unknown to The King Maxwell had figured out how his gem-oriented teleportation powers work, with him needing the gems as a conduit to teleport towards. As long as he paid attention to the placement of the gems he can always determine where he could be. While he was subduing the missiles earlier he also made a conscious decision to use the turbulence they caused to blow the gems in the area away from him. Maxwell determined that he cannot just teleport to any gem, but that he has to always know where they are to do so, or them give off enough of an energy signature to pinpoint it with magic. King Marvelous scoffed at the accuracy, but told him that it didn’t matter if he knew how his ability worked because it all comes down to how you apply yourself in disadvantages. He also informed him that he doesn’t have a gem-oriented ability, but that they just have a lot of power within them. His power in actuality allows him to guide himself to conduits that can reflect/refract light. Suddenly, The King appears right in front of Maxwell’s face and stabbed him through the body with his sword. Unknown to Maxwell, The King can use people’s eyes to refract himself through which is how he struck him so quick and he explains this to Maxwell as he falls. The King can teleport in front of people and surprises them, but this process actually takes awhile as the conduit is weak compared to a gem. He released his blade from his body and Maxwell begun to fall to the ground from his wound, and Noble attempted to rush to his side. However, before his body could touch the floor the wounds on his body was reversed instantaneously. Maxwell then teleported himself behind The King, and as he turned around towards him Maxwell stabbed him with the same blade he was just stabbed with, but it was a clone.

The King was astonished and confused. He didn't’ know what Maxwell just did. He revealed this as a special ability he calls “ **Bookmark & Return**” to which Maxwell started to explain to The King. This is an ability that combines his knowledge of remembering things, and his spellcasting abilities. With this he is able to ‘bookmark’ himself in a single moment of time/space. Once he does so any events that happen when he keeps his place within time until he receives damage will get undone when he ‘removes’ the hold on himself in time/space. Whatever events transpire while he is ‘bookmarked’ he can then ‘share’ with someone else like a story to some variation. However, this ability works like a narrative piece; he can only repeat events that he fully understands and is explained to him how it happened after it’s done. Because The King explained to him his ability before his ability time was over he could ‘return’ the event to him the same way it happened to him. Surprisingly, Maxwell was able to duplicate his teleportation ability fairly well because his special ability is within the realm of his space/time powers. This ability also only works if those specific conditions are meet, and is seen to Maxwell as wealth and value in ‘truth’. The King laughs at Maxwell and actually compliments his integrity, but points out the contradiction of his ability and him telling him how it worked, but Maxwell was through and through a man of truth and saw it as thanks for allowing him to not continue the lie he and the Gods were following. Maxwell also informs The King however that not that eye technique will not work on him as he now understand how it works fundamentally. Noble smirked at The King falling for Maxwell’s ability.

The King started to understand a bit more the severity of messing with Gods now and sees that his technology and power will only help him so much against two Gods. He started to get increasingly mad, and this made him take the fight way more seriously and was more determined to pass them to ensure he finally finishes Nijin for good. However, after thinking for a bit he decided that he had a better idea, and instead teleported once more but instead back into the giant gem that sat on top of the facility they were at. Noble and Maxwell were caught off guard with this decision. The King included this piece into the building for when he needed to make quick getaways from situations and couldn’t rely on the transportation tech he has in place. As The King sat within the gem as a product of light he then manually instructed his operatives to fire missiles aim directly in the area they were at in attempt to destroy all that were there- including his own men in the process if it has to be done. This decision was meet with hesitation to the soldiers firing the missiles; some thinking he was a bit crazy, but they listened to orders. He also started to shoot out light from the gem in any direction striking anything that the light beams touched in a fit of raged. This was to cause massive confusion to those on the ground. However, the light that he gave off made it hard for them to aim correctly so some missiles went into Kokyo City and areas around there as well as the facility. After awhile he stopped and instead charged up power within the gem to teleport to his men that held Anti-Spirit Weapons with strong signatures on them that must be somewhere at the outskirt boards of Kokyo by now. This was a bit of a gamble as he had no idea where he would exactly end up, and he made sure there wouldn’t already be these unique gems far away from his reach to not give out the tech to unwanted eyes- but anywhere would be better than here. As he zoned in on them he teleported away leaving Noble and Maxwell to fend off the missiles that were coming blindly towards them. They did what they could to defend themselves but they were not able to stop the attack this time around and were left to try and evade them as they fell pushing soldiers out the way as they could. The courtyard was filled with debris and smoke and The King was now long gone. The ultimatum was meet with a saddening outcome, and with no current Gods there to stop The Kings’ attempts where this fight could lead could be truly infamous.

However, as the commotion within Kokyo started to rile up, the Gods back at the base started to take notice…

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -7/14/2018-  
> *There is going to be alot of interesting switches between the characters in focus from here on out ina n attempt to 'speed up' this part of the story. This tactic is kinda inspired by One Piece's manga structure. Pay attention to when each chapter specifically takes place in correlation to the last, and what is happening at the same time as other events. Thanks for reading.* -@Sonicravenx


	16. The Great Wall of Kokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The battle moves itself outward from the center of Kokyo to it's outer border, which is the infamous wall that holds all of their integrity within. Maxwell and Noble have to think of a way to apprehend The Kings who are doing everything in their power to engage in war with each other".

The fanfare from the starting battle at Kokyo rippled throughout the lands outside, and as the barrier around Kokyo was erected it was first noticed back at the Plutus God base by Madonna. She initially thought it was weird fireworks and admired out nice it looked, but then soon realized the airships and missile trajectory and thought that it was actually an attack. She had gotten the attention of the other Gods- still flustered by the disappearance of Midas, and they soon are all alerted.  Still currently at the base is Restore, Madonna, Baby, Locker, Mob, and Rifle . Unsure what is happening Restore makes the decision that this could be the signs of a war about to break out, which would unfortunately mean the other Gods’ plans have failed. Instantly, Restore alerts to the rest of the Gods to get ready to leave base for good as they are going straight to Kokyo’s outskirts. Restore’s idea was that since the meeting place for both Kokyo and Nijin Kings was within Kokyo if the war has the possibility to travel outside Kokyo walls then it means two things; Kokyo is forcing them outside their borders, or Nijin is fleeing back to their kingdom or the valley. Either way, Restore says that it is the best idea to apprehend both forces in neutral territory to not risk innocent lives lost. The other Gods do not abstain from his decisions and agree, and they rush off to the battlefield.

They all run into the grasslands at full speed- with the exception of Locker carrying Baby, and as they proceed forward Rifle starts to show worry for Maxwell and Noble. He fears out of all the Gods present they would have the worst circumstances having to protect Nijin from Kokyo within their own turf. Maxwell has magic spells but has little to no physical strength compared to the rest of them within Kokyo- at least to Rifle. However, to Mob he is the most worried about Dollars as since the war’s start has to be a failure directly of Dollars and Noble’s accord Mob wonders what could have become of Dollars to let this happen; he knew Dollars thought his plan was immaculate. Baby chimed into the banter and suggest the one variable that could have turned the tides in any unpredictable manner has to be Midas. Hearing that Restore gets visibly annoyed by Midas just leaving base, but states to the group that thinking of assumptions now won’t help them stay level headed and that they should only focus on the task they were given.

As they roam closer they can feel and hear more of the tremors and fanfare from the battle. The battle upsets wildlife within the area and local spiritual beings fly away in upset. The area around them becomes very unsettled and restless, and Madonna shows disgust at the natural reaction to what is happening ( _ similar to Unite Madonna tends to stay from having to fight, and also doesn’t like to witness unpleasant things _ ). Mob’s senses start to get alerted, as if there was something in their midst that was more aggravated than usual. He brings this to their attention as he thinks its a similar sensation he felt the time they went into the forest for a walk-  Nightmare . Before they can even discuss that they are halted by Nightmare appearing out of the sky and ground in front of the Gods. Locker analyzes them, and with that info Baby states the Nightmare are reacting without thinking as if in a fight-or-flight mode. But, Baby still thinks it’s interesting seeing them in the daylight. Not wanting to deal with opposition before getting to their goal Mob offers to end their lives swiftly, to which Restore agrees telling him to do what he wants. Soon, Mob unleashes his daggers and throws them like light rays in the directions of the enemies around them. However, a Nightmare snuck around to their rear and attempted to back rush Madonna. However, Madonna was still agile and keen in combat, and used her legs to sweep kick the Nightmare away from her and Rifle went to shoot it out of the sky. Soon as the Nightmare were made aware of the power gap the Gods had between them they soon ran off after many of their number was felled in battle. The group soon ventured on to apprehend the battle.

By this time there was many soldiers of Kokyo and Nijin origin running among the battlefield- Nijin was anticipating this outcome for sure. The King of Nijin was ordering troops from outside the walls of Kokyo to strike down their walls as he makes his way through it with much opposition. They also were tasked to keep the barriers that keep Kokyo troops from Nijin territory up. However, at the same time attempting to make his way to the valley because he believes The King of Kokyo is attempting to head there as well to stop his plan to destroy the valley. He alerts his soldiers of King Marvelous’ arrival and to stop him by any means necessary from advancing. Also, because of his unique ability he cannot get too close because he could teleport to the valley. This is a wild goose chase to this mysterious valley. 

As The King of Nijin escapes Nijin airships that have made their way there are attempting to land to pick him up to bring him swiftly to the valley. Other airships seem to turn around and head in its direction as well. Kokyo operatives seem to catch wind of this and attempt to strike them down as they do so, so Nijin is placed in a weird situation. 

Kokyo soldiers are running after the Nijin King, and those with gem-infused weapons  ( _ most likely the same rank/status as Trumpete _ ) unsheathe them and battlecry in wake of the clash. They engage in swordfight, and as one soldier was about to get slashed by a Nijin soldier a flash of light comes out of their weapon. Suddenly, King Marvelous stands in front of him blocking the blade attack, and forces the soldier to the ground. He advances further giving the soldiers the orders to seize The King of Nijin, and continues to slash through the opposition himself- teleporting further as soldiers with gem-infused weapons advanced further than him. He unsheathes his special gem-infused rapier and begins to slice through the soldiers of Nijin as if they were paper in the wind. He advances closer to The King of Nijin as he signals for the troops to make a way for him to get through to the outside of the Kokyo walls. Currently, there is Nijin soldiers still posted outside the Kokyo Kingdom walls, and Kokyo soldiers at the wall gate where they were attempting to enter- the same wall gate that Dollars and company entered.  The gate is closed, and there is soldiers on each side and on the wall itself retaliating. Nijin soldiers are approaching with Kokyo soldiers behind them- creating a scenario in which Nijin is virtually surrounded. This formation halted The King of Nijin and was then approached by The King of Kokyo from the back. The King of Kokyo taunts The King of Nijin as they both realize the situation. Some of the Kokyo soldiers question if they will be able to break the walls to which King Marvelous scoffs at their uncertainty.  **The Great Wall of Kokyo** , which spans the entire perimeter of their kingdom, is virtually impenetrable- or at least in the words of The King. With their extensive air fleet Nijin cannot make much advancement in the air or on land. King Marvelous tells them there is little to worry about.

Suddenly, a Kokyo ship fires another round missiles at the barrier at King Marvelous’ command to advance the troops at the wall forward. However, as this is done The King of Nijin bends his knees and assumes a stance as he places both his palms together.  The barrier turns color from brown to red , and the missiles that hit the barrier instead of taking the blow deflect the missiles, and it is instead sent away in sporadic directions. This was an attempt to attack the wall but none of them hit it. However, instead out of sure luck, one hits a Kokyo airship in the sky, and its enough to send it flying down. It lands in the path of the Kokyo wall, and soldier evacuate the area as fast as they can as it falls on it. The crash is enough to destroy some of the wall, and Nijin soldiers use this opportunity to clear a wall for The King of Nijin to escape through. King Marvelous follows him relentlessly outside making physical contact with him as they pass over the burning airship on the floor. He is enraged, as he did not think the force of their refined ships would be enough to break part of the wall. The King of Nijin used a javelin to strike with against The King’s rapier and despite the gem-infused powers The King of Nijin seems unfazed. 

As they fight the Nijin gain more area as both side join forces, and when The King of Nijin has the chance he kicks King Marvelous back and begins to run out the walls. However, what The King of Nijin did not realize is in that altercation King Marvelous attached a gem to him, and in a split second he teleports towards him to strike him in the back.  Before he can make contact with The King of Nijin suddenly another gem is thrown in the way stopping the trajectory and King Marvelous in his tracks as he is suddenly materializes at the gem thrown in the way ( _ which confirms that his powers work in a straight line, and anything in the way can obscure the path _ ). Out of the fray comes Maxwell who threw the gem after he kept hold of one from their altercation. Maxwell told The King of Nijin to shake off the gem he had on him. He thanks for the help, but still sees them as an opposition and to not to kind things for enemies on the battlefield. King Marvelous was shocked, and as that happened a Kokyo soldier that was behind him grabbed him in a necklock and had a gem-infused blade to his throat. King Marvelous was shocked and didn’t understand what had gotten into the soldier and ordered him to unhand him, to which the soldier denied as he had gotten strong orders to do so. Suddenly, another solder removed his helmet and was revealed to actually be Noble in disguise. 

He explained that his mouth is ‘very persuasive to weak hearted beings who can be manipulated’,  and can request people do things for him however his skill doesn't seem to work on The Kings. Noble and Maxwell once again request for both Kings to stop while they are ahead as they do not wish to hurt anyone anymore. However, King Marvelous scoffs and begins to stab himself through the stomach with his own rapier, stabbing the soldier behind him as well. The pain the soldier was afflicted with cause him to snap out of Noble’s trick and let go of him, and The King kicked him off of him. Soldiers around him, and the Gods looked at him in shock that he went to such degree of hurting himself to release the soldier from him. However, The King is the least bit fazed by the wound he inflicted upon himself and snaps his fingers to order healer soldiers to mend him. 

The King of Nijin shakes his head in shame at seeing what King Marvelous did, and questions to the Gods which one of them is the true ‘barbarians’ as they would not harm their own in such a disgraceful way. The King of Kokyo responds laughing and challenges his response by claiming that while they might hurt their own they sure have a funny way of ‘hurting other spiritual beings’. The King of Nijin falls for his taunts and gets angered, and responds to him by alerting him of a fact King Marvelous continues to overlook which is that if it wasn’t for his dictator and manipulative ways now of his men would truly want to lay down their lives for him. To The King of Nijin, King Marvelus’ lust to seek vengeance is too great for them to ever see eye to eye, and destroying the valley would be Nijin’s final act of ‘mercy’ towards Kokyo and The King. However, King Marvelous believes the only act of ‘mercy’ that could come out of this would be for him to have The King of Nijin’s head served to him for dinner so that he would aid more in his nutrition than he truly does to the land around them all. As he says this he teleports behind Noble, and grabs him in a similar way the soldier grabbed him and begins to stab right at Noble’s back with his rapier ( _ he was able to teleport as the soldiers garb had gem weapons holstered _ ). However, he counters this by grabbing the blade and spins his way behind him placing him in another necklock. At the same time Maxwell had launched himself in the air and prepares to shoot a fire-elemental blast towards both of them. Quick on his toes King Marvelous teleports away to another soldier, and the blasts hits Noble. However, as the smoke clears it was Maxwell who actually got hit whom teleported himself in the way of the blow.

Noble shouts to The King how did he manage to dodge that move, to which The King responds by saying similarly to how he teleported his way there he can use any of the soldiers with gems as a conduit to teleport and simply did that time. However, as The King stopped talking he covered his mouth in shock as if he was surprised he admitted that. His mouth moved on its own admitting how that works. This was all in aid to Maxwell who now understood how he teleported away form them in the first place. This allowed him to activate his ability Bookmark & Return once more. As The King was done talking he soon was placed within Noble’s grasp once more. The more simple the event is the more Noble can variant it, and in this case he instead shoots at the soldier The King teleports to. The King even with knowledge of what is happening cannot stop himself from doing so as if  only Maxwell has the ability to alter the event thereafter . The King teleports to the soldier and both of them get hit my Maxwell’s attack. As this is done Noble is seen running after The King of Nijin and halts him outside the Kokyo walls- he had seemingly undressed from the Kokyo garb in an attempt to not anger The King of Nijin. 

Both Gods are separated, and as they begin to engage with each King and their forces once more they get a wavelength connection with Restore. He is finally able to patch over to one of the Gods finally as he saw the airship go down. He is currently unable to get ahold of any other Gods except Maxwell and Noble and he tries to ascertain where they are to which neither Noble or Maxwell know. Noble tried to inform Restore of their current location and told them to hurry, and that they are not in the right situation to chat as the worst-case scenarios are all rolling out in front of them. As they were both distracted by the call both Noble and Maxwell are hit by The Kings to the ground- thus ending the connection they had due to trauma.  Restore stops trying to connect and focuses on the group physically getting there, and asks Madonna and Mob- the fastest Gods among them, to speed ahead of them ( _ despite Mob having light-elemental powers he cannot move his whole body at the speed of light, or can fully become light _ ). As both Gods were thrown out the way the two Kings clash once more outside the walls and both forces from both sides hold their ground as the true fight between the Kings truly begins.

-CHAPTER END-


	17. Conflict of Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Gods truly underestimate the influence and responsibility having power entails. The ideals of Dollars and Midas are beginning to be tested more as they come into realization of what is going on, and Noble and Maxwell start to feel the inner guilt they tried to keep hidden. While all this is happening, Restore's team is hastfully trying to reach the battlefield".

The shockwaves from the ensuing warfare between Kokyo and Nijin are felt throughout Kokyo City, and has sustained much damage from the unneeded strikes it has taken by its own forces. Families are continuously being evacuated to safe zones by soldiers while the rest rush off to aid in the fight. Many operatives within Kokyo Castle are seen clearing out the area while they prepare weapons to take with them. Nurses are instructed to safeguard anyone unfit to fight as well as tend to wounded civilians. 

Within this process time passes and the Gods managed to escape the throne room, and they make their way up to the top of the castle. The havoc they left within the throne room was grand, and as other soldiers rush in to aid the unconscious soldiers inside- after a failed attempt to apprehend the Gods themselves- they lose sight of the Gods. Dollars, Midas, Rune, and Unite lookout to the chaos around them, and how much they missed out on from being held up that long. Runs soon apologizes for not being able to dispel the seal sooner, to which Dollars responded that they did what they could to ensure the least casualties were done on their part. 

Looking at the state of the fight each God got uneasy; Dollars instantly directed his anger towards Midas. Unite picked up on his and tried to stop Dollars from approaching him- he did not need another altercation now, but it did little to stop him. Midas, seemingly aloof to the graveness of it all, turns to look at his approaching brother. Dollars attempts to grab Midas’ collar, but slaps his hand away every time he tries. Dollars finally manages to grab it with both hands and brings him close. 

“... Are we going to do this again?”, said Midas. Dollars gets more angered at Midas’ ‘calmness’. This is seen as a threat to his own ego by Dollars. 

“Midas, Look around you! Look at what you caused. Was this all worth it!?”, said Dollars. As he says this Midas looks around once more. Midas surely thought something like this would happen, but something about it all doesn’t sit well with him. 

“... The greatest conflict of power isn't for those that go against it, but for those who have obtained it and must control it, Green Plutus”, says Midas turning his head to look straight at Dollars. This shocks the Gods- especially Dollars, on multiple layers as his words transcend him; that was a direct response meant to be given to also their father, any God that came before them, The Plautus disciples, as well as the Godians themselves. 

“Get the fuck off me already”, Midas continues pushing Dollars away in the process. Internally, Midas believed the focus was heavily on them going against power, with little emphasis on the construct of the power itself. This somewhat makes the Gods come to terms on why Midas was hellbend on the Godians fighting over land they don't own in the first place. 

“We will get to no conclusion if we continue this fighting that will get us nowhere. We need a plan”, said Rune. What seemed to shock the Gods more was what that statement meant coming from Midas. That was an act of realistically commenting on the true issue, but it was also a reflection on himself; Midas isn't perfect, and doesn't always have the right answers. Midas however said that to bring attention his main focus; power control. His main focus because if this still is the Valley of Value, and that's where he all proposed they go and leave the Godian issue to Godians. Dollars, reluctant, agrees to Midas’ plan. Prior to them leaving the chamber, and before Trumpete was knocked unconscious he was questioned for any info he would tell them; Midas brought up torturing him, but that was quickly turned down. Trumpete was reluctant to give any info up, but after a self reflection-possibly on one of a cleared mind and emphasis on the good the Gods have done, gave them info on how to use an underground Kyoline mine way that runs the power from the city to a reservoir outside of the kingdom adjacent to the valley- which might be the only one that might still be open after the alert. With that information already in hand the Gods use it to head out of the Kingdom; choosing to not aid or uncover what might be happening to their fellow Gods, with the assumption Restore would solve the problem.

Restore was quick on his way to the battlefield as he watches Madonna and Mob hurry ahead of them to the grassland where the battle seems to be currently centered around.  Their speed in comparison to the rest of the Gods there is truly remarkable. Madonna truly breaking sweat for the first time this journey, and Mob somewhat gliding across the ground using lightshocks to the air around him to speed him up. They are almost a mile in front of the rest of Gods at this point, and are approaching the battlefield. They run along a hilltop and jump off and are airborne above a bunch of Kokyo and Nijin soldiers. Madonna uses her excellence eyesight to quickly scan the area below her to search for Maxwell and Noble as well as the Kings; she has no idea what they actually look like, nor does Mob. Madonna flips in the air before land, and uses her feet to kick away soldiers that were near her landing and lands on all fours. She smirks, and speed blitzes multiple soldiers around her launching them all in the air. Mob, still floating in the air, throws light daggers around the field stunning and immobilizing soldiers making them not be able to move by hitting vitals. He slowly descends to the field near Madonna quite surprised at her quick reaction in battle.

“You are quite excited to be here despite how you have been acting literally the entire time we have been here Madonna”, said Mob, “You know our goal isn’t to kill them, right?”. Madonna smirks as he says this as she kneels on the ground. Soldiers surprised by the two of them on the battlefield are unsure how to assess the situation. Suddenly, some Nijin soldiers mention that his appearance matches reports of alleged Kokyo operatives trespassing within the Valley of Value, and Nijin commanders within the fray order Nijin to treat them no different than Kokyo. Hearing this got Mob and Madonna excited as now they were and threat, and were not seen as more Gods. This gave them an opportunity to have some fun, while also making their way through the field to meet up to wherever Maxwell and Noble was. 

Madonna’s body was that of a feline; her cat-like body came with claws that are sharp to cut through their weapons, and a tail that is strong enough to strike enemies as if it was her own arm. Her fighting style is very fluid and physical. But, Madonna’s strong suit seems to be her  senses . Her heightened senses allows her to pick up on things the other Gods cannot. Specifically, her vision is very good being able to see every adversary within a large distance, but there is too much going on for her to mentally pick specific people out. Normally in situations she can simply sniff them out, but Noble and Maxwell are very cleanly;  _ too _ cleanly. They care a lot about their wardrobe, so their scent is already barely detectable, and while the many scents around her shouldn’t deter her it is in this situation. She cannot rely on her hearing, touching, or tasting in this situation either. As she contemplates a strategy a enemy hits her in her blindspot, but dodges almost instinctively due to her enate  6th sense capabilities . This allows her to be able to react to things normal beings couldn’t, and makes her very suitable for fighting even amongst her fellow Gods.

Mob continues to generate daggers made out of light to strike, as well as enchant his shoes with light to move quicker. He tricks foes by creating  illusions of clones with his light tricking them into falsely striking, while apprehending them all swiftly to not waste his time. He checks his pocket watch he carries to see how much time they are wasting, and as he does so a soldier tries to strike him from behind. However, Mob simply shots a light beam at the watch’s glass causing it to bounce off in the opposite direction and at the soldier striking him down to the ground.   He starts to spin the watch around on the chain it is on, and then coats in in light and turns it into a whip-like object , and smashes it against foes with great force. While he does so he lits another cigar from his pocket and starts to smoke it; he tries to cut back as it really is a Godian-Human like activity to do and really isn’t enjoyable to him ( _ Mob does it more for aesthetic and taste _ ),  but these cigars are filled with light magic so when he lits those they can act as weapon as well. He can use the smoke he generates to cloud the area with dense but dim light and use it to strike down enemies without them seeing his movements.  He can also blow through the fire end if cigar and it in turn creates fire-charged light beams .

After having multiple exchanges and gaining more attention they soon decided to switch gears to finding Maxwell and Noble more as while apprehending both sides is what they technically are suppose to do this won’t solve the problem. Mob tells Madonna that she should use ‘that one power trick’ she has, and that while she does he himself will get to a high altitude to look for him as  Mob has perfect vision . Madonna agreed and suddenly begins to dance and spin in formation, unleashing an ability she calls  **Sense of Style** . With this ability she can be attracted to and gain power from things of style. While she moves she pulls in energy and light from beautiful things that catches her eye- Mob’s outfit is one of them. With this unique power is able to detect the style from Maxwell and Noble as they are very stylish. While she dances she is attacked by more soldiers from both sides, but she gets a fierce look within her eyes and strikes them all away.  The style she gains from sensing others she can use to strike with, also those with ‘no style’ or style she deems ‘ugly’ do less damage to her . Using this she is able to pinpoint where Maxwell and Noble are, which she claims is near another person with style that almost supersedes the two Gods. Judging by the intel from Rune and Baby this could possibly be The King of Kokyo with them. They soon fight through the soldiers to make way to them.

Maxwell and Noble continued to fend off Nijin and Kokyo forces from each other as the two Kings fight. The Kings combat wise seem evenly matched, but each possess special traits that give each an edge in the fight; The King of Nijin using earthen magic and raw power, and The King of Kokyo using tactician, wit, and foolery to get ahead. Everytime one of the Kings gets an opportunity to land a grave blow either Maxwell of Noble step in the way to intercept the attack. This gets The King of Kokyo very mad over the repeated attempts of them getting in his way. Maxwell’s temper starts to sway as The King of Kokyo strikes back at him, and his has to keep his cool so he does not use his power with malicious intent and strength; while he is physically the weakest God he still has the power to kill him. Maxwell starts believing that The King of Kokyo realizes their intention and is toying with them as if he has some sort of control over the Gods. Noble thinks on his toes about what is the best course of action and believes that he must channel more of the Plutus Ring energy to cause distillness in the fight. Noble, relentlessly, starts to meditate and pray to Father Plutus asking him for guidance and to hear his plea through the ring. 

He feels great guilt for not being able to control the conflict of power between these two nations and for the first time is genuinely lost for what to do; internally he also feels like this is when he would fall back on Dollars, but he isn’t here. Suddenly, the ring glows and bestows power to Noble- seemingly unlocking more power through mercy. Noble regains confidence, and it bestows upon him a clear mind. The power of Noble channeling his power through the ring is enough for Maxwell ( _ and Madonna and Mob _ ) to pick up on it faintly. 

All around the Gods are dozens of soldiers deadlocked in combat and unwilling to waver. They aren’t paying much attention as they are blinded by their rage. Noble in this instance attempts to halt the fight, and as both Kings were attempting to collide once more Noble appears in the middle, grabs both their weapons and forces them to the ground palm thrusting them away from each other. Suddenly, Noble speaks once more, and his voice carries in a shockwave around him for a distance. 

“Halt!”, Noble yells. As his says this it causes all soldiers around him to be stunned; they are shocked by the pressure of his power release as he says that. The Kings themselves stay low to the ground as the power is too much for them. Soldiers that weren’t affected by the shockwave further away were stopping out of confusing as to why no one was fighting. This energy output was enough for Madonna and Mob to pick up on and Madonna could use her senses to echo-locate his exactly location on top of using her Sense of Style. Maxwell, Madonna and Mob were somewhat surprised in their own ways as to the sudden power increase and output that Noble has mustered. Typically, they are granted more God-like powers from simple use of their powers and using the ring in situations where it’s used for in Father Plutus’ image, but no one has tried to use the ring as a conduit to pray for more power from Father Plutus. 

Maxwell saw this as a complete act of mercy, and his confirmation Father knows of their failure; potentially from the angst that the Gods have been exerting that Father is picking up. Even looking within Noble’s eyes Maxwell could see the instance regret and shame on his face.  Maxwell thought to himself that while Noble is a fit leader he is nothing close to a perfect leader , and believes that he must believes that if any of the Gods should of been able to solve this problem Noble himself should have been. This was essentially all his idea, but in that moment he feels the most insecure about his actions. But, after a second of his expression exerting these emotions he then put on a strong front, and faced the armies in front of him.

“I demand that this selfish conflict cease!”, said Noble. As he said this Madonna and Mob become in view of Maxwell and Noble. Maxwell, looking at Noble, senses a shift in his psyche; he is going from non-confrontational- like in the vain of Dollars, to the opposite- like in the vain of Midas’ philosophies. Maxwell believes Noble’s action patterns are unlike him, and is questioning if he is mimicking other mindsets to desperately meet a better goal. Dictatorship was something he personally wrote off, but is intrigued in how Noble will take this.

“Selfish? Oh, mere God, you clearly no  _ nothing  _ of what is really going on”, said The King of Kokyo. The Kings were adamant about the Gods staying out of the fight. The King of Nijin insisting that the Gods do not know the true enemy of Godians out of their forsakenness, and that some things are best left forsaken. However, before the Kings could continue talking beams of light come shurling at them. The light form Mob’s dagger attack strikes many soldiers around them, and aims some at the Kings. Maxwell, strategically thinking about the situation yells to Mob, “Stop!”, in an attempt to tell him not to strike The King of Kokyo with light. Mob’s light hits The King of Nijin suddenly stunning him, but when it hit The King of Kokyo he used the light to travel to Mobs location. This shocked Mob and Madonna- whom was lower in altitude from them falling to the ground. Madonna attempts to reach the King by bouncing of thin air with her strong legs, propelling her back up towards Mob. 

The King of Kokyo attempts to stab Mob- despite not even knowing who he really was, and Mob, quick on his feet, replaces his body with an image of a clone. This causes an image of him to get stabbed- tricking the King, and the light that is produced from the cuit clone temporarily blinds him. Suddenly, his pocket watch chain is wrapped around The King of Kokyo’s right leg, and he pulls him down into Madonna punch going up. This was enough force to knock him to the ground after descending. Madonna and Mob land near Maxwell, and Mob informs them about the rest of the Gods and how they will be here shortly. As The King of Kokyo gets up- seemingly struggling to stand from Madonna’s blow, he starts to laugh.

“Aha, so I see more of them has come”, said The King of Kokyo. The King of Nijin makes the comment that Mob matches the description of the alleged Kokyo soldiers running around the valley, to which angers The King of Kokyo. Feeling sabotaged and further lied to by the Gods his grudge against them further is made.

“Well I suppose we are a bit even, you Gods. It is because of you Gods that I even have this amount of information i do now. So, I suppose it is only fair at this point to inform you about just  _ what _ you are lead to be forsaken over pertain those barbarians”, said The King of Kokyo. As he said this The King of Nijin get angered and begun to strike him, and prompted the Gods that The King of Kokyo will spin theirs demons into a fallacy that inaccurately represents the graveness their own kingdom caused. The King of Kokyo however laughs this off. 

At this point The Gods were just tired of this back and forth and were still baffled on why each side keeps talking about what the bad each is doing, yet refuses to discuss it. Noble brought this point up and demanded an answer from the Kings- specifically that Noble wanted to hear these claims The King of Kokyo has been making this whole time. The Kings struggled to stand still as his power emanates over them.

Finally, The King of Kokyo spoke, “... You want to know what is  _ really _ going on at that godforsaken valley? Then lets starts with Nijin and their past with this land…”.

 

-CHAPTER END-


	18. The Value of the Valley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dollars and company finally arrive to their destination, and what they find is what they didn't expect; a find that was most likely, but the one they didn't want to happen the most as well."

Dollars, Midas, Rune, and Unite make it out of a long and wet tunnel that leads them into an opening for the valley. There is a pond of of Kyoline resting undisturbed near them. Rune uses her sword to dip it into the Kyoline to soak her blade, and  uses her earthen powers to analyze it . However, Rune just concludes that it is simply a unique form of oil compounds. But because she can also sense the lingering energy in the area she can finally understands the unbalance Baby tried to describe. They also saw gems that were close to what Baby excavated, and what was adorned on The King of Kokyo and their weapons. As they exit into the area they can hear the casualties of the war from a distance, and somewhat believes it is also slowly heading their way. They also see some soldiers running amongst the valley- mostly Nijin operatives, and Unite wants to use caution proceeding. However, Midas is entertained by his remark and simply wants to march ahead and blow anything or anyone that stands in their way of finally knowing the truth. Dollars, a bit tired of the drama himself, somewhat agrees with Midas and just allows him to continue in the speed he has been as he follows him from behind.

Opposition definitely stopped them along the way, however Dollars and company easily broke through the walls as there wasn’t anything to hide from now. Their goal clearly at this point was to make it into underground canyon area that was believed to be in the middle of the valley- which was like a corkscrew in the middle of the valley canyon. Rune felt uneasy as they approached, and Dollars was fairly sceptical about the operations going on here; they as a whole didn’t necessarily know the correct ways Godians should act as they were quite sheltered from them, so they are unsure if this type of agricultural dependance is common. Nijin soldiers were able to patch over to The King of Nijin using their unique spells and inform them on the invasion of what they believe are Kokyo soldiers. At this point given the knowledge the King had he informed them that those who are coming are most likely Gods, and that they should be treated with caution and to not let them near the valley at any cost. With this alert the Nijin operatives engaged in full effect, and used their earthen magic to change the landscape around them and get the advantage. The Gods were indeed caught off guard about this, but Rune could combat this with her own powers of the same nature. They would send rocks and raise the ground under them to raise them out of the canyon with any means necessary. Rune would easily cut through the rock and use her talismans to summon magic earth to propel towards them. Midas would simply smash through the rocks they thrown and throw the soldiers out of his way. Unite covered the rear behind Dollars and noticed that Nijin soldiers were phasing through the rocks; more were coming. He also saw in the sky airships approaching, but were also in combat with each other implying Kokyo and Nijin affiliate were engaging in the sky. 

Dollars was more interested in the lack of organic life within this area in comparison to the surrounding land, and activated his Plutus Ring to touch the ground to resonate with the nature. As his did so slowly he grew grass and flowers around the area he was touching. This surprised him as the land reacts great to spiritual energy- especially the small remnants of gems that were on the canyon sides. He injected his power deep into the ground and could almost feel that there was indeed a greater energy somewhere below the valley surface. Dollars brought this claim up to Midas, to which he agreed that is what their assumption always was and is why they spent so much time investigating with what they could. It was hard given the circumstances, but now that they have nothing to run from as it is different. Dollars has more of an understanding for Midas curiosity, but it doesn’t really excuse his disobedience to the plan. Nonetheless, Dollars was more convinced than ever they are hiding something, and their opposition in from of them- the many soldiers now appearing to stop them- they have something they want to keep hidden. 

A blockade was made in front of them, and Dollars initially asked for reason and compliance, and to let them through. Nijin soldiers however didn’t budge an inch. Unite pondered if they should continue rushing through them, and while it was something Dollars didn’t want to morally do it was important to finish what they started and to do so. Midas laughed and was quite satisfied; Dollars is acting more like him. Dollars looks to Midas and his smirk and is disgusted, but ultimately this isn’t the time for their to be a ‘good God bad God’ like it has been. They prepare to engage further mode, but before they could move Unite once again alerts Dollars’ attention to the sky. Flying in the sky was smaller ships- looking of Kokyoian origin- descending from the airships in the sky for their direction. Alongside were literal soldiers falling straight out of the sky- seemingly escaping the air war to get to the land below quicker. This shocked the group and alerted the Nijin soldiers that Kokyo operatives were approaching. Some Nijin soldiers rushed back to hold them back when they approach, but still kept up their blockade. With that being done Rune told the Gods to move to the side, and as they did so she slashed her sword vertically in front of her; sending a slash in the blockade’s direction causing a fault zone to rip through the earth dividing the blockade straight in half. The shockwave send the soldiers flying, and they used this opportunity to proceed further and soon they reached an opening that sent them inside the canyon within the valley.

Inside the Valley of Value the first thing the group noticed was that they finally started to sense a greater presence of spiritual energy than before, and that the gems adorning the insides had a glow to them and had more energy within them. To prevent soldiers from following easily Rune closed up the opening they entered into- to which Dollars thought was smart. They proceeded forward with much angst within them heading towards light that was coming from inside the cave. It was almost like awaiting an outcome you already know might happen, but the anxiety of it all and not wanting certain things to be true hold you back. They followed the pressure of the energy and the light to where it was the most concentrated, and it lead them to an open area within the underground. As they approached Rune instantly gotten shocked and dismay struck her face before them all. She could hear it- faintly, but it was there. Cries. Someone- or something calling out for help. A sudden SOS hidden within the condensed area that was suppressing the energy. Shortly after Unite, Dollars, and lastly Midas all could feel the same thing, but only Rune was hearing the cries.

“Do you guys hear that?”, said Rune. But they all shook their heads ‘no’. Startled Rune rushed ahead of them all, and they followed. When Rune gotten to the epicenter of the cries she was horrified.  Caged up, in a magical barrier, were dozens of malnourished spirits . Their energy dried up, and crying to get more. Rune was speechless; Dollars and Midas got very tense, and Unite turned his head as he couldn’t look out of dismay.

“Is… This where all the spirits in the are were going? Is this the route cause of all the weirdness we were seeing?”, said Unite. 

“How… How could they!?”, yelled Rune. Midas, unable to move forward, bowed his head as he too couldn’t look.

“It’s a theory I bounced around in my head, but to actually see this is…”, said Midas. Dollars looked to Midas- seemingly confused and shocked by his response to this. But Dollars himself didn’t know what to do but channel his emotions to anger. Rune quickly approached the barrier- seemingly held up by magic that wasn’t of God class. Rune broke the barrier and approached the spirits as they all flew around the room excited about being released, but also attempting to find energy in the dead cave. Dollars looked around, and could see the channels and mechanics used to siphon energy from the spirits. This drew the conclusion that perhaps the reason the Kyoline oil that is collected from here isn’t as good is that it was filled bountifully with spirit energy, and its source was running out. 

“Hm… Risking an environmental and ethical fault over one's own values…”, said Dollars mainly to himself out loud. However, the more he thought about this the more it made no sense. The Gods are definitely being played, and it doesn’t compare to what they did. As the spirits were circling them in agony Rune gesture to them to come towards her to share her energy with them. Unite opened his arms as well allowing them too. With their powers they created a domain turning the earth around into a grass field, and when the spirits entered the area they were rejuvenated. Dollars and Midas looked on as they gained power.

“They don’t seem like strong spirits like the ones you would often see in Level 2. Not even the weak ones. I don’t know if the spirits in this area are obedient or just geographically weak, but they sure targeted a certain type to imprison”, said Midas. Dollars agreed, and as Midas said that he looked at Dollars with a hard glare. As he looked at him Dollars could tell it was a glare that said, “I was right to say this was always a God issue”. Dollars sucked his teeth, and approached Rune and Unite. They tried to communicate to the spirits, and find out what happened to them, but as soon as they got enough energy they raised up, and bursted straight through the ceiling. They managed to get outside, and quickly fled the area. They had done what they could, and weren’t surprised they would want to quickly get out of there. 

Rune, Unite, and Dollars turned around to look at Midas- almost like they were asking him what they should do out of some type of guilt. Midas looked at them back with conviction and hidden rage. Through that rage rested an excitement like no other. He suddenly smirked.

“Looks like these Godians have been greedy bastards all along, and it’s about time to teach them their place-  _ MY _ way”, said Midas. Rune nodded her head in agreeance- her rage peeking through of the disgust of the spirits’ treatment. Unite lowered his head with disappointment and understandment, and Dollars fully turns around facing away from Midas- unable to reject that is what needs to be done he simply physically does in the moment. 

With that being said they use the opening made to jump out of the underground, and when they do they are meet with incoming Kokyo and Nijin soldiers. As they do so they destroy most of the inside of the valley making it cave in on itself. The Gods this time around are less forgiving, and they blast straight through the opposition and charge at full speed out of the valley. Midas spots an airship about to take back off after bringing soldiers to the scene, and before it could get too far Midas creates a golden ball with his powers, and throws it at the airship’s cockpit. The airship falls to the ground, and Gods enter the airship and use it to fly to the war ground. From a high altitude they can make out where the epicenter of the fight was, and guessed that has to be where Noble and Maxwell are, and where Restore and the other Gods should be heading if they are following their side of the plan.

As they fly overhead Rune can somewhat make out what looks like Maxwell and Noble, with Madonna and Mob, in the middle of the warzone looking at each other intensely with The Kings of Kokyo and Nijin. The group look up at the airship above them, and the Nijin King gets a bit tense, but The King of Kokyo has no idea why this ship is here. Suddenly, Dollars and company jump out and crash land on the field away from them- causing a crater on the ground separating the soldiers in the area. The King of Kokyo looks at them, seeing Dollars and Midas, and laughs as they approach. Shortly after, Restore, Baby, Rifle, and Locker show up- using Locker to make a way through the crowd of soldiers. 

“Well, looks like the gang's all here to here. I hope you all are ready to be amazed at what these barbarians have been truly keeping from you”, said The King of Kokyo. Dollars gets more enraged and walks up to The King of Kokyo, and is blocked by Kokyo soldiers. Suddenly, Dollars blows them all out the way with great force, shocking the other Gods that didn’t come with him. The King of Kokyo is a bit taken back by his force.

“Oh yes, we  _ definitely _ have come to find out what has been kept from us”, said Dollars. The King of Kokyo then gets a bit confused at the response, but as soon as that is said The King is informed of an incoming transmission from another soldiers. He tells him that the cavern inside Valley of Value was destroyed, and beings flew off in an airship after taking down everyone there in the direction of The King. Suddenly, both Kings get pale as they look towards Dollars. 

“Dollars! I don’t know what is going on, but The King of Kokyo just told us something crazy. Nijin, the valley, they-”, said Noble before Midas throws a golden ball at his direction, and as he dodges it makes him lose his step and fall. Afterwards, he directs one at The King of Kokyo shooting one straight at him. Restore was shocked at this, but saw that Dollars didn’t stop him as if he was fine with is so he standed down. The King dodged it as well, completely flabbergasted at him striking him, but before he noticed Unite was behind him and grabs him making sure he didn't let go. At the same time Rune uses earth to ensnare The King of Nijin. As this happens the soldiers from around them- Kokyo and Nijin alike- all charge them as the Kings are in sticky situations. But Rune raises the ground around them- channeling the Plutus Ring, creating a divide between the fight and them.

“Everyone, I think it’s about time these Godians tell us the  _ real _ truth about what is going on.  _ BOTH _ of them”, demanded Dollars. Madonna starts to get excited at what is happening, and Restore walks over to Dollars. Midas creates a blade out of gold from his powers and waves it at The King of Kokyo.

“Aristocrat, tell us what this bastard told you guys, cause we found out something  _ pretty _ interesting just now. And depending on how much the story makes sense and adds up that will determine how much this asshole and his kingly rival  _ won’t _ get fucked up right now”, said Midas. The whole time this is happening soldiers attempt to climb the earth Rune created or find ways to fly over, but Mob and Rifle shoot them down. Unsure what is going on, Noble begins to spill what The King of Kokyo told them, and The King of Nijin continuous to plead the whole time the inaccuracy, but Dollars simply keeps telling Noble to keep speaking, and urges The Kings to not dig their holes any deeper than they have.

-CHAPTER END-


	19. 2 Kings, 12 Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The ending of the war is nearing as the Gods finally find out the truth from the Kings, as well as the truth they seen themselves. After hearing what The Kings have to say, the Gods determine their own courses of action based on how they each feel. However, Midas is still enraged, and Restore is still in limbo about how he feels about it all."

Noble tells the Gods what The Kings said to them prior to them showing up; a story of some time ago back when Kokyo didn’t know much of this valley, and that they discovered Nijin in the area guarding the valley.  They found them rounding up spirits in the area for fun and keeping them in the valley . This was seen as some hobby for them, but when pressured The King of Nijin instead said that it was in an attempt to protect them, and this practice isn’t uncommon in The Spirit World. Hearing this, Rune did acknowledge that what they said is true. However, Noble was attempting to ascertain before they arrived how Kokyo knows this, and how it ties to their economy and exports. The King of Nijin pleads that The King of Kokyo is not telling the full truth. Dollars allows The King of Nijin to explain further to which The King of Kokyo attempts to shut him up and tell the Gods that they shouldn’t listen to barbarians. Unite grips The King’s body even tighter in an attempt to shut him up.

As controversial as it was  Kokyo and Nijin found some medium to what they were doing by allowing them to use the spirits collected energy that was enchanting the natural materials in the area for their profit, and Nijin agreed . Kokyo must have been attracted to the high concentration of energy in the area. This system was in place for awhile hidden from the other kingdoms, and they protected the secrets of the valley from them. Nijin as a whole didn’t want to agree to this plan, but knew Kokyo’s persistence and greed. The ritual of collecting them did start out as such with good intent as they were not safe, and Nijin took drastic measure to convert the environment in the area to a habitable place. They stretched their reach through the earth far out from their kingdom in an attempt to re-energize the land that was tripped by other kingdoms who took a more mechanized economy like Kokyo. They did so due to the lack of God contact to watch the regulation of spiritual energy in the area,  which not only spirits need but Godians too.

Initially, the spirits themselves wanted to be under their care and trusted them, but it was lost. This overtime gotten too much for Nijin as Kokyo demanded more energy, and the concentration in the oil they used increased over time as well. To protect the spirits they started to use their magic to seal off the energy they had from Kokyo’s use, but they couldn’t release them as it would start a war they couldn’t win. The King of Kokyo was shocked at this revelation, as he was made to believe the spirits were running dry. The King of Nijin continues by saying that Kokyo wanted to round up more spirits overtime and didn’t want them to go on a spirit hunt. This conflict kept going on overtime as Kokyo tried to monopolize every aspect of what Nijin started as a sane practice, and took measures overtime to resist it which caused the current conflict they have now by barring them from the valley. This was not helped when Midas helped Kokyo get even more of a higher standing amongst the kingdoms in the area. What was a territorial fight was way more than that underneath it all. 

After hearing all of this Midas lowered his blade, and Dollars, Rune, Noble, Maxwell, Restore, and Unite lowered their heads. They all thought something similar; that both kingdoms are in the wrong for their own part in it, but ultimately the problem  _ does _ supersede them, and it belongs to the neglect they were given by Gods. Dollars didn’t know how to go about this issue, but Midas felt like their punishment was already for sure and attempted to approach The King of Kokyo. Dollars grabbed Midas trying to stop him, and insisted the Gods think about this. Midas gets angered, that after hearing the truth from the horse's mouth Dollars still wants to act like a kind king to them who are in the wrong for doing something horrid. Dollars lowered his head more, as he did think Midas was right, but something didn’t feel right. 

The King of Nijin concluded this was the resolve behind destroying the valley to end this cycle once and for all. Rune told The King that all the captured spirits fled off somewhere, and wherever they go will be better than here. Hearing the spirits fled enraged The King of Kokyo to no end, and was for sure that he could not continue at the same standard of his kingdom without it.  He pleads to the Gods to understand the drastic standard he had to keep up with to please his people, and how the change will be nothing but negative . Unite questions if there is sincerity in those words. However, Dollars isn’t fooled and doubts The King was ever not thinking of himself. Angered, The King of Kokyo uses the gems on Baby’s body to teleport towards him, whom rested on top of Locker. Surprised and amazed by the ability Baby actually cheered for him being able to do that. Baby also noticed the clear similarity to the gems collected, the ones on The King, and the ones he has on him which all come from high concentrations of spirits. 

The King of Kokyo notes his gems are ‘better’ than his, and wants them for his own gain. He attempts to strike Baby with an energy blast- using his more ‘flashy’ moves for whom he thinks deserves it. However, before the attack could connect Locker protects Baby with his own body, and swings at The King knocking him off the earth Rune created onto the ground. Seeing Rune distracted by this, The King of Nijin takes the chances to break the entire platform created by finding a fault in Rune’s earth magic and counteracting it using sacred magic. The Gods all fall with the exception of Mob, Locker ( _ and in turn Baby _ ), and Unite who each use their powers to hover in the moment; Baby riding on top of Locker.

As both Kings land they look at eachother- attempting to fight each other, but in the new terms of events realize that it’s clearly the Gods against them all for sure. With the valley destroyed by the Gods The King of Kokyo takes all his anger about it off Nijin and onto them, and while Nijin is all glad to hear what had happened now know they are against the Gods for sure as they did start it all. In this moment, both Kings realize what the smartest thing to do in this moment which is to give up against the power of Gods. However, after thinking of how they conduct themselves and their displayed power they see a difference in the legends and what they see in front of them they know thy will be hugely punished, and so both decide to do a less smart route, and  _ fight back _ to repel the Gods and hopefully escape. Both Kings signal to their armies to target the 12 Gods, and in a split second all the war targets the 12 Gods. Midas, Mob, Rifle, and Madonna are happy to see this happen, while the rest are not- especially Restore. 

Restore decides that the Gods need to neutralize the situation anyways, and signals to Dollars that if the Gods cannot do it using reasonable methods then he will step in. Every God besides Restore decides to fight, and Restore simply sits in the middle of the field completely unguarded. Soldiers got the hint to not approach him, but  stupid soldiers that dare to approach get juked out by him, and forced away by him simply using his feet . He is determined to only step in when he believes there is no other choice. Dollars and Midas got the hint, and Midas takes this as Restore allowing him to have some fun.  Unite uses his powers to enchant all the Gods to protect them . Maxwell, deeply disappointed by the truth even after learning and being somewhat inspired by Nijin people’s philosophies and literature, sadly  readies his tome book to fight back and provide cover . Dollars starts to channel his energy, while Midas readies another blade in the other hand dual wielding. Noble grasps his shield and mace and charges at enemies that approach him, yelling towards them to stand down and listen to him so they don’t get hurt. Mob and Rifle squad up and ready their aim at soldiers approaching them. Madonna guards Rune’s backside as Rune uses long range moves, and Madonna fights using her bare fists. Baby hides within the cockpit inside Locker, and combine their forces of brain and brawn. 

While inside Locker Baby is at his best.  Baby is the second most intelligent God out of the bunch , but he- like Maxwell- lacks in physical power. Locker, who finds it hard to make decisions for himself, leans on Baby for his intel. Even more so, Baby can take control of Locker’s body from inside him and fully monopolize him making his combat skill increase. Despite his willingness to protect every other God he has a unique attachment to Baby, and thus specializes his body for Baby’s purpose. Baby specializes in  energy detection , and can sense the bodies all around him. He inputs into Locker data that claims  within a 805 meter circumference of them there is about 107 soldiers- 57 within Locker’s  peripheral vision . He uses this intel to lock-on to targets using Locker’s power, and readies the bullet turrets in his arms to shoot them in a flurry. The bullets are specialized condensed energy shards which can be manufactured within Locker’s body using his  **Compound Replicator** .  This allows him to analyze simple material and recreate it like a copy machine . However, he only produces items that replicate the origin to 99.8%, as to not devalue the item made; this regulates the item and protects rarity ( _ though, he doesn’t have to _ ). Specifically these shards- made by Baby- pierce the target and neutralize the energy within them.  Essentially it is a energy tranquilizer , but has a damaging component to it. Locker fires off the volleys of bullets at the crowd causing a scare and frenzy to hopefully make them want to stop approaching the Gods. The soldiers hit fall to the ground unable to move, but are still conscious. Seeing this, Restore untenses.

The King of Kokyo sees the volleys of shards and quickly thinks on his feet. He then uses the shards to teleport straight back up to Locker in an attempt to strike Locker with his blade, but his blade bounces straight off his body. Baby laughs and says, 

“Ha! Your feeble technology is no match for that of a God’s.  Alexander’s body repels spiritual energy . After analyzing these gems in the area, and the intel of your lifestyles I comprehend enough of your technology to know that you won’t be making a scratch on Alexander”. Locker prepares to shoot directly at The King, and he quickly uses the shards once more to teleport away. However, Locker isn’t losing sight of him as he has locked onto him. Locker plan to neutralize The King as well- and he is aware of this-, so he swiftly maneuvers around the battlefield. When the shards come close to making contact The King makes choices such as using other soldiers as shields that are willing to protect him, or striking back at the Gods. 

The King of Nijin had to be careful as well as he was being targeted just the same, but was able to hide underground, or camouflage himself making Locker actually lose his energy signature; Baby thought this was very interesting. However, when he would use his energy again Baby would pick up on it and simply re-lock on. At the moment the most dangerous God was Locker and Baby as they were taking down the most enemies the quickest, to which Midas applauded. This gave many openings for Rifle to proceed on the battlefield taking the weapons off the soldiers bodies so even if they were to de-neutralize they had no ways to fight. Rifle could do so by his uncanny ability of  magnetism . It’s not the most refined ability as he focuses more on his machinery, but it comes in handy for things like this. The guns Kokyo are using possess some type of metal within them, and so he is able to attract them towards him safely. He would then dismantle them ( _ or break them _ ) and continue on. Nijin weapons however have no metal material within them, so Rifle cannot take them as easy.

To give Mob cover- and to aid in his powers- Rifle would throw light screen bombs in the field; blocking the vision of other soldiers, and powering up  Mob as when he is around more light he shines more, and makes him stronger . The light flows throughout his jewelry and body, and powers him up. Mob initially thought the idea was counterproductive when dealing with someone like The King of Kokyo as he has light-esk powers, but Maxwell assured him he always needs a medium and hasn’t been shown to teleport straight into light; if he could he could teleport anywhere whenever he wanted as light is all around them. Using a similar method to Locker, Mob strikes down soldiers in their joints burning them slightly to immobilize them. As Mob continues to levitate in the air soldiers on the ground ready aerial magic and arrows to shoot him, Locker, and Unite out of the sky. The spells do nothing to Locker, and Unite and Mob strike them down before they hit. One fire magic spell was gunning for Mob’s backside catching him off guard. He realizes this too late, and mutters to himself how he should have placed clones around him. 

However, before it could land Madonna breaks it apart using her brute strength, and uses Mob’s head as a platform footstooling off of him before he could even thank her. She looks back towards him with a grin as if the leverage was like her saying, “You’re welcome”. She uses the altitude to pounce down on the battlefield close to Noble who was fending off against The King of Nijin. The King’s javelin gave him an advantage over the length of his weapon compared to Noble’s, so The King was able to properly defend himself against a mace. Noble was somewhat resisting trying to harm The King still even after what he had learned. Even in this turmoil he still wanted them to find the error of their ways, and surrender. Madonna could sense him abstaining from battle, and came over to back him up and talk sense into him.

“You do realize that since they gotten this far into their ruse they must be well aware of their stance in this. And their will to fight against us is due to their fear of what they  _ know _ will befall them in the future”, said Madonna. Noble realizes this.

“I know! But, you would think if they realize this they would stop fighting! Their hatred for the Gods, and their fear of Kokyo is propelling them into serious fight or flight”, said Noble. The King of Nijin is fairly convinced this is what he must do as he had to go so long protecting his kingdom without the help he needed, and has had to make tough decisions in life. He doesn’t want to stop now that some Gods came in and told him too.  Madonna, Noble, and soon Maxwell all come into fight The King of Nijin . At the same time  Dollars, Midas, and Rune confront The King of Kokyo as he is running from the attack of Locker/Baby .  Rifle, Locker/Baby, Mob, and Unite deal with calming the soldiers attempting to save The Kings , and  Restore continues to sit on the battlefield watching this all go down .

As the battle keeps going Restore starts to ponder the rights and wrongs in the situation. As a true failsafe he contemplates in his head what really should be done in this situation. The Gods in general never really had many experiences to form logical conclusions that would help them in the future. To Restore, this truly was a learning experience to find what he believed to be true value. Up to this point he was just following orders, but he- and the other Gods- are starting to make their own decisions. Throughout this whole experience Restore was constantly in limbo of what was true to himself, because at the core his existence is for the sake of the other Gods. This was the first time Restore was thinking off cuff with things such as, “ _ Is it wrong for Gods to forsake Godians? _ ”, “ _ Should I feel bad for Godians? _ ”, “ _ Should I stop them? But why should I stop them? _ ”. Restore himself couldn’t even pinpoint where his questioning of the situation really comes from, but as he looks at Midas he remembers the words he said to him. Midas said straight to him how he was just a failsafe. So to Restore that’s partly where his want to not fight right now comes into, but he also doesn’t want to because he doesn’t know whether to really stop the Gods. However, as he looks at Midas once more he soon comes back to reality of what was happening around him. 

As he comes out of his mind he sees Midas slicing The King of Kokyo’s left forearm almost completely off. Blood flies everywhere, which splatters over Midas’ golden body. The King falls to the ground and screams in agony. The Gods, soldiers, and even The King of Nijin pauses at the scene. Suddenly, Restore remembers why he initially wanted to stop the war in the first place; fear. The fear that could form in Godians’ hearts. This was apparent as Midas’ face as he did so had no emotion or expression, but as he looked down at The King struggling on the floor it was apparently The King formed fear in his heart. Perhaps this whole time The King, or Godians in general did take Gods for granted , and the power they really have over them. This could have been added with their passive approach towards them making them look like they had no dominance. Dollars rushed over to grab Midas.

“Hey! I know we agreed to teach them a lesson, but that was too far! Look at you!”, said Dollars pointing to the blood that is on Midas. Midas looked down at him, and for a second was a little weirded out, but then looked back at Dollars with a look that showed he didn’t care. Midas then went to approach The King, but Dollars grabbed him and pulled him back. The King then scrambled on the floor to backup, and then used his teleportation powers to teleport to a medic, and other soldiers placed a barrier around him. Rune was somewhat frozen, as she was still filled with anger over the spirits, but didn’t think that was right. Over at The King of Nijin The King looked towards Noble and company thinking they would try something similar and had his guard up, but Noble’s face looked like one that wouldn't attempt. Madonna nor Maxwell didn’t want to really hurt The King, but it was clear Midas felt different. Restore seen the problem quite clear at this point; some Gods couldn’t go through and do the finishing job due to their humanity within them ( _ Dollars, Rune, Noble, Maxwell _ ), while others like Midas, Locker, and Baby- who lacked that humanity- didn’t mind. He also equates this to why Mob and Rifle took roles that were away from the main fight as while both have the killing intent they must both see the senseless death redundant deep down- or at least that’s Restore’s opinion.  It was then Restore knew what he had to do in this moment, and suddenly stood up .

The blood on Midas’ body suddenly started to run completely off his body as he heats his body to a point where the blood just runs off like water. As he does this it burns Dollars’ hand causing him to release it.  Midas has a heating ability , which he has casually used throughout this journey. Naturally he can increase the temperature of his own body, which then creates an interesting reaction with his own body which solidifies it but also allows him to liquify. Using his heating ability he creates a zone around him of heat which makes it so no soldiers can even touch him as he approaches the barrier The King is under- including other Gods. Rune and Dollars want Midas to calm down, but Dollars is also confused as Midas seems more calm than ever. The King of Nijin looks as Midas walks towards him and it somewhat snaps him into his senses as well, with him saying out loud that if the Gods truly have mercy- this is partly why he still fights back. Noble hears this and questions if Midas’ act shook him enough into submission.

As Midas approaches the barrier none of the Kokyo soldiers can stop him. He touches the barrier and it begins to melt. The King gets fearful of what might happen and looks around for another place to teleport to. However as he was looking he noticed the area was getting shiny. Tiny particles of gold were flying around the area in the air and as more collected the refracted light caused the area to haze and shine. As the light reflected in The Kings eye he realized what was going on; the more light reflected back the less possible options he had to find a trajectory where he could teleport away, as he can  only travel in straight lines to and not beyond the conduit . By blocking the pathway to other possible pathways by putting gold all around him he risks simply teleporting to a particle that is using natural light to interfere. Because he can only teleport to conduits that can reflect/refract light this was a very smart way to counter The King’s ability. Dollars sees this and this confirms that Midas has to be level-headed right now as he is thinking very strategically with his heat and gold.

Seeing no way he can defend against Midas The King puts his arms up in terror ordering his soldiers to make a wall between him and Midas immediately. As he says this the soldiers in the area rush to his side creating the Godian wall; notably, Midas seems to let them do this. Midas begins to smile, and the energy around him changes. Dollars and Rune can tell he is getting excited, so to stop him Rune brings up the rock before him creating a divide and Dollars tries his best to grab Midas once more ignoring the heat. He places both his hands on Midas’ shoulders and attempts to cover him in vines that root to the ground. This temporarily stops him as he cannot move, but he uses the glitter-gold around him to cut it up into pieces. he then reaches back, grabs Dollars, and smashes him through the rock divide Rune made. Afterwards, he throws Dollars in the air. Mob catches him, and guides him to the ground as Midas continues to approach. The Gods don’t really understand his determination all the sudden, but they all get the feeling they probably should stop him. Madonna, Maxwell, and Noble go to run after Midas, and The King of Nijin takes this chance to run away.

Rifle, Unite, Locker, and Baby approach as well, but as they do Locker stops and instead heads elsewhere. The Gods rush in with the goal to subdue Midas who is hellbent on showing The King the true power between them, and to give him the fear Restore believes he is experiencing. As Midas approaches The King of Kokyo he reaches his left hand out once more, splashes a substance on it, and ignites it on fire. This shocked The King, as he identified the oil as his Kyoline. Unknown to the group up to that point Midas took some of the oil when they were at the valley with him. Using the oil- which seems to be fairly flammable- he ignites his hand and begins to release his gold in a spray- creating a flamethrower. He attempts to burn all the Godians in front of him, and as the flames soar you hear screams all around. 

The flames rise around the area and as the glitter-gold catches fire as well surrounding the whole area in flames. This causes hysteria in the area, and heat generated makes soldiers try to run away. The King of Kokyo truly seeing how helpless he is in this situation closes his eyes in true fear and Midas continues to engulf the area in flames. Suddenly, a hand comes out from the flames in front of Midas and grabs his hand, causing the flames generated to smother. The hand is then shown to belong to Restore. Restore then uses his free hand to wave the flames behind him completely away. Shown as the flames clear is The King of Kokyo is tied up with some type of wire- seemingly by Restore. Midas, shocked, tried to free his hand from Restore but Restore clenches harder upon his hand. This causes Midas to fall to the ground from pain. 

“I… Ugh… I said for you to do you job as a failsafe and step in when we all fail!”, said Midas.

“... You Gods lack the tenacity to take down these Godians while still holding what integrity you hold for yourself. And, Midas, if your way of doing so is to induce fear, or  _ worse _ kill them, then you have already failed. You got what you wanted what more do you need to do?  _ I’m _ saying this is all over”, said Restore. This angers Midas, and he tries to strike Restore with his free hand which he ignites, but Restore uses his free hand to  create ice . He collides this with his flame hand and smothers the flames once more with the ice, and freezes over Midas’ body in the process. Seeing this surprises Dollars as he didn’t know Restore could even do that. 

“Wow Midas, guess you really needed to  _ chill out _ huh?”, said Madonna making fun of Midas. Midas sucks his teeth to her remark. Restore walks over to The King of Kokyo as she says this and looks down at him in agony.

“W-What do you mean this is all over?”, said The King of Kokyo. He struggles to get his footing as he continues, “You.. Y-You Gods can’t just come in here and just… Just change everything I’ve been doing for all this time… I won’t... Allow it!... Ugh…”. He still is struggling with his wounds. Restore sighs, and grabs The King’s bad arm, and seemingly ‘restores’ it to its normal condition. Seeing this surprised the Kokyo soldiers. In this moment Noble remembers he was fighting The King of Nijin, and now doesn’t know where he went and turns around to see where he might me. Then, he sees Locker flying above them heading their way, and in his arms was The King of Nijin tranquilized. He drops him near The King of Kokyo and Locker lands near Restore.

“Thank you Locker, I wasn’t sure if you would act on my wavelength I sent you so suddenly. I felt like you were the only one to complete the task level-headed at the moment,” said Restore to Locker. Baby then exits Locker after he says this.

“You could at least give Alexander the decency to call him by the nickname he chose for himself if you feel so strongly. Like, what is the point of us choosing them if no one calls him it!?  Who’s narrating this ?”, asserts Baby. Ignoring this remark Restore turns back to face The Kings.

“Take everything that has happened today as a warning for what the Gods up above would of actually done to assess the situation you have done. We have played along to your wishes for as long as we could, but it’s about time for us  _ all _ to be a bit less selfish. And send this message to all the kingdoms and people affected by the actions of Gods;  the Plutus will see to the end the wealth and the values of one's life are held to the highest importance ”, said Restore. As he says this he jumps into the air propelling himself high above the warzone. He then stands in midair, He then shouts to the warzone;

“This war is officially over, and the Plutus will innact your wishes to the high Gods. If anyone still wishes to abstain from this can stay and watch as I restore this land. And I assure you it would not be in your best interest to continue fighting afterwards”, said Restore. As he says this he slams balls of light energy towards the ground below causing a huge explosion. In doing so he wasn’t intentionally striking the soldiers, but in attempt to inject the land with more spiritual energy to ‘restore’ the land, and to do so he had to strike the ground hard. The energy was his own energy he was giving back to the land. He strike these blasts across the field which gave the land back spiritual energy. However, those who didn't’ understand this ran from being scared. Others ran away from the force of energy in the area overwhelming them. As he does this Noble approaches The Kings, and speaks to The King of Nijin.

“I hope you will continue to treat the spiritual environment with utmost respect like you and your ancestors have done in times past”, said Noble. Rune approaches The King of Kokyo with some disdain still written all over her face.

“I knew there was something about you I didn’t like the moment I meet you. What you  _ both _ did was unforgivable to me. But, for the greater good of Godians, we strive to ultimately fix this problem taking this one step at a time doing only what we can”, said Rune. She starts to ponder if Father Plutus sent them on this mission with good faith they would succeed, or was this just some learning experience. Nonetheless, she hopes her words to The King stuck. However, as she thinks this she starts to wonder what became of the Godians they meet after their swift exit from Kokyo.

Restore releases The King of Kokyo from his binds, and instructs Noble to demand The King to tell his fleet to retreat, and for him to retreat alongside him. He does, and The King doesn’t look back. At this moment Nijin soldiers rush in to grab the King who still is paralyzed. Baby comes down from Locker and places a pill within The King’s mouth.

“This pill will reverse the properties of the paralyzation. He should be fine”, said Baby. With that being said The King leads his men away as well, and the battlefield starts to clear. As this happens Restore sighs, but suddenly falls out of the sky plummeting to the ground.The Gods- including Midas, were shocked. Mobs goes into catch him flying quickly towards him. Dollars sees as he falls that the energy he must have given up to heal the land and all they were doing was just fighting. The Gods all rush into where Restore might land.

_ Sometime after Dollars, Unite, Rune, and Midas all left The King of Kokyo’s throne room… _

Trumpete Cadenza makes his way throughout town- seemingly all the turmoil of the world around him. He hadn’t recovered from his fight but he had conviction to keep walking. To him, he could still fight back- or at least help. There was missiles heading into town from airships up ahead- and he doesn’t understand what is going on, but assumes the city is getting attacked by Nijin somehow. Recklessly, all he can think about is his wife and children so he hurries home. As he makes his way through the fire and screams from helpless Godians, and soldiers themselves confused as to what is happening he sees his house in the distance. Suddenly he stops… And he falls to his knees. His house inflamed. A missile seemed to of aimed straight for his house. There was soldiers attempting to enter the home, and it seems that there is people still inside based on their motives. With the alert going off people should have evacuated already so there  _ no way _ his family is inside! At least, that is what his thought process was. 

He ran as fast as he could past the soldiers that tried to stop him, but soon realizing it was him they let him pass. As he entered the house he was burned from flames, but he didn’t care he needed to confirm there was no one in that house. He went to every square foot of that house calling out to them. No one replied. This was a good thing to him, but he still searched. He could barely breathe, and was getting lightheaded but he still searched. He was bloodied and powerless from his fight with the Gods but he still searched. He had hatred and sadness within his heart but he still kept composure. But, then all of those things stopped as he saw three lifeless bodies in the backest part of their basement. Two smaller bodies and a larger one over them. His body was frozen, and couldn't even utter a word for what he was looking at. He got on his knees, and crawled over to what he was looking at. He looked deeply into the soot-filled eyes of the person he saw. He touched their charred skin to confirm what he was looking at, and soon he knew. And when he knew he screamed,

“CLARINEEEEEETTE!!!!!!”, yelled Trumpete  Kokyo soldiers rushed to his location as the house was beginning to collapse. The soldiers struggled to move Trumpete from his position, but as they rushed him and the bodies out all Trumpete could do is scream and cry. 

He was laid on the ground outside facing the sky above him. And as he saw the heavens he got furious, and uncontrollably irate.

“ CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU GODS! CURSE THOSE DEMON NIJIN! KING! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN! IF I CAN’T HAVE THE ONLY THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY… I… I… ”, said Trumpete. He fell unconscious from exertion of oxygen he was running low on. He, and his family were brought back to the Kokyo Castle to be treated. 

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -11/11/18-  
> *"This chapter marks the end of the "Godian Arc" which spans from Chapter 1 to Chapter 19. It's been a huge road to get here; me starting this story back in 2015 and having most of the main story points in my head all this time and finally sitting down and writing it out. There are many interesting things still to come, and this specific chapter is long due to me trying to conclude the 'war' in one chapter. I felt like this arc was a bit long as you will see in following chapters the story is way more than the Godians, as The Spirit World Level 1 is but a small portion of the overall Wonder's Land universe. Hope you enjoyed reading"- @Sonicravenx


	20. Next Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "With the war at its conclusion the Gods soon set off on what they collectively believe is their next appropriate goal, and prepare accordingly for what is to come".

Mob ends up catching Restore before he hits the ground, and sets him down.  The Gods all surround him. Unite uses his powers to share energy to siphon back into Restore, and other Gods’ chip in. However, In Unite giving out his energy Unite collapses from nearly depleting his own as well as fatigue from the stress of war. Midas, during this time, recollects himself and calm down. Over time, once Restore recovered a bit he managed to request aid from Father Plutus, and in heeding his plea Father Plutus sent a tetragram portal once more to aid in their return to Plutus Temple.

The Gods currently have returned back to Plutus Temple, and they all bowed in meditation to Father Plutus in a similar manner to when they did prior to going off to their test. Father Plutus sensed all that had transpired through the souls of the Plutus Gods, and was very intrigued to see how they would solve the problem. The Gods got a taste as to what Father had to deal with all these centuries with humanity. The first person Father highlighted was Restore for ensuring that the problem was resolved, and was very receptive to his decision to give up his own energy to help the environment- something the other Gods didn’t think to do.

Dollars and Noble were happy to see Restore get praise, but they themselves felt guilt of their plan essentially failing. Father Plutus could sense their emotions and told them to not hold it against them or else they will start to feel like abstaining from the values altogether like he himself has. Seeing how they handle the situation gives Father insight of the future, but also solidifying his opinion of Godians. But this brings up two good questions from Unite about this.

“Father… I have no other means but to wonder… Did you know prior the problem that rested within the valley and still sent us along the journey? And, do you feel the same about Godians as what the Godians made it seem Gods feel of them? Like Godians are some forsaken unforgiving people?”, said Unite. Father sighed, and for a second reflected to himself about how to answer. Father Plutus very clearly now more than ever has made it clear he has kept his predescribed notions of the world from influencing his disciples. He wanted them to form their own opinions of them, and through time he knew they would either understand him or chastise him. But, to even Father’s surprise it seems to be a mix of both. Father elaborates that he has long since stopped paying attention to the state of Godians- much like the rest of the Godplain. He goes onto say that while he doesn’t think Godians are truly unsavable he for sure has lost the motivation so see the Godians through to the ideal he himself had of them. They are who they are; imperfect, impressionable beings, and that is what makes them unique. Another thing Father had to realize is that you do in fact need power in some aspects to establish order with them, and his idea of equality amongst them wasn’t realistic at the time- but it doesn't mean it couldn’t happen now. He hoped that splitting up aspects of himself, and raising unbiased Gods with no prejudice it would unveil a pathway that even Father himself didn’t think to walk.

“Unbiased huh…”, said Dollars as he looked towards Midas. Midas could tell his words were directed at him. However, Father Plutus took a minute for the Gods to heed the aspects of Midas’ ideals pertaining this situation that ended up having weight to it. Midas, angered, didn’t like how he worked his praise of him.

“Aspects?”, said Midas, “Father I-”, he is stopped mid sentence.

“ _Fear_ and misunderstanding is what started the divide between me and Godians. They feared the power I had, and they were envious that I had it amongst them. They feared what it meant having all this power in their disposal, or this power being given to their worst enemy. I bore no prejudice to many things, and my blindness saw that I didn’t see the malice around me- but i could _feel_ it. You, my son, are a very intelligent being. So, it always surprises me when you make decisions- selfish ones, that don’t have the best interest of the greater good at heart”, said Father Plutus. Midas rose from his seated position out of shock that once again Father misunderstands his intentions and ideals.

“Midas, can’t you overlook your greed and see the compliment Father gave you?? Especially since _you_ are the reason the war started in the first place?”, said Dollars angered at his selfishness. But, Midas wasn’t amused.

“Green, what is there to compliment exactly? And you just _love_ to throw old shit back in my face. Life in the now. What’s important _now_ is the outcome, and how the outcome was also only this way because of _me_ .  What? you lot thought that giving them a slap on the wrist and go complain to the Gods was good enough? That sweet passive shit might role with you but that’s not how you exact real change. You need to instill in people _why_ what they did was wrong, and show them how it feels to be put in a corner like they carelessly did those spirits. You all think I’m just thinking of myself all the time- fine! Think that! Maybe if you weren’t so forsaken yourself Father you would think different. Cause I know that my ‘selfish’ acts might be centered around what I think, but in the end if I were at the helm I’ll ensure it’s a better world for _all_ ”, said Midas. As he said that he stormed out. Father and Dollars sighs, with Father seemingly saddened by his remarks.

Moving the situation to a different topic a bit, in order to hold Restore’s ideals to heart Father Plutus asks what they plan to do after this point, and Dollars says that they as a group have agreed that their best idea after what happened in Kokyo and Nijin is to visit the **Elemental Council** , the God-ran community that spins the threads of balance, order, and most of elements for all existence ( _They also uphold the_ **_Elemental Gods_ ** _. The Elemental Gods are Gods that become the embodiment of the elements they serve. Elements are the basic constructs of mankind and each need a vessel to maintain their existences. The primary elements and the Gods that serve under them are the most important. They make up the fundamentals of life, reality, and all that is in between;_ **_Water, Fire, Earth,_ ** _and_ **_Air/Wind_ ** ). With their idea they are going to request a meeting with the Elemental Council to discuss the Godian Reductio Proclamation, and ascertain its implementation with The Spirit World.

Father Plutus seems happy the Gods are taking initiative and going to meet with the Gods. He mentions to them he has met the person who oversees heaven before, **Life** , and that his disciple is often mistaken for Father himself all the time. The Elemental Council just rests above the realm of Heaven, and in order to get there they must go through the Gates of Heaven to the other side. Father Plutus says that while on their way to the. Elemental Council they might be able to see one of them. Dollars, and Restore are pleased to hear Father pleased by their plan. With that he, and his Buddha all pray for their save trip in the future to go well, and sees that they be prepared for their meeting with higher Gods in both mind and body.

Father recommends not only being prepared to see the Gods mentally is important, but _stylistically_ as well. In layman's terms; wardrobe upgrade. Madonna took great excitement to this as she felt like leading everyone’s wardrobe upgrades. However, everyone decided to alter their appearance as they saw fit- including Midas. They all decided to round back up the next morning and set out for Heaven. In this time everyone did what they needed to do including wardrobe changes:

-Dollars decided to opt a more regal look, with his long hair tied back in a feudal-like look. He also decided to wear Japanese-like sandals with one bottom heel in the middle. This was a bit different than his cloak look.

-Midas took a more ‘pharoah’ esk look- opting to show more of his golden body in tandem with his golden clothes. He cut his hair giving him a straight fringe cut bang, and shoulder length straight hair with braids on some parts. He removed his forehead protector as well. He also carries a gourd with him on the back of his right leg. This isn’t necessarily a style choice, it actually has two compartments in it; one filled with a special oil, and one filled with just gold ( _kinda counterproductive since the gourd is made of gold, but hey_ ). It purpose is to cause chemical reactions inside the court using heat to create a blend of the oil and liquid gold he can manipulate at will. With infusing gold into the oil it allowed him to bend the oil at will as well. He also decided to use oil as a coating around his body, which makes his body shiny but also flammable.

-Mob ditched his cornrows for a hairstyle of braided hair that went shoulder length- like box braids. he also dressed in all white now instead of black and white.

-Noble had brown/red clothing, but he now replaces that with blue/white clothing specifically, blue and white armor with a white cape with blue accents. Noble says this was inspired by King Marvelous’ outfit as the actions of him really reflected on him somehow. However, after quick persuading by Madonna, he dyed his hair blonde from its original brown; he eyebrows are still brown. He looks the most different out of everyone.

-Rifle cared the least about changing his aesthetic, and stuck with his black getup, but now he wears a black cloak over himself.

-Maxwell had a red/black robe-esk look that looked fancy, and he somewhat kept the same colors, but removed his cloak. His white hair was cut shorter- about shorter than a bob cut. This look made him look more youthful.

-Madonna changed her thigh-length lolita look to a princess dress that was longer in the back than front, and added yellow to it, and grew out her hair greatly and dyed it blonde like Noble, but added pink highlights to it. She tied it into a ponytail. Also, her blacked out eyes were more normal looking and had pink irises. She changes her appearance so much that the Gods forgot what she used to look like- but pink was always her main color.

-Rune also did not alter her outfit much, but did flip the red that was on the bottom of her outfit with the top ,and placed the white on bottom. She also placed her long hair into one high ponytail.

-Locker, being a giant blueish robot, can’t really change much about him, but Baby has been tweaking his body to give it more upgrades.

-Baby stays within Locker most of the time so what he wears he doesn’t really care about. He chose to stick with his orange/purple aesthetic. He did however use a lot of the gems he collected from the valley and infused them into his own body strengthening and replacing a lot of the ones he had previously. He did change up his face makeup that was purple/orange to look sad; initially he looked happy.

-Unite didn’t change because he doesn’t wear clothes and doesn’t have things like hair; he’s in a similar issue to Locker. He simply just glows. It’s unknown what his body really is made of but is like a prism.

-Restore kept his brown/whitish look, but his hair was often in his face and a bit unkempt, so as he prepared for Heaven he styled it out of his face, and had it in a sligh loose ponytail. He also trimmed it.

With these changes, the Gods grouped back up and sent off to Heaven. With using the tetragram Father was able to send them to a place near from where Heaven was at as it is impossible for beings outside Heaven to teleport straight into Heaven unless given clearance first from Life. As they leave Father Plutus sighs greatly, and says to himself, “The time that I talked about with you Life is coming closer and closer. It’s time to test the values of Gods themselves”.

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -12/3/18-  
> *This is somewhat a setup chapter, so not much really happens, but after Chapter 19 maybe that is just fine. Chapter 20 marks the end of the "Godian Arc", and starts the "True Godplain Arc". As I thought of the 'Godian War' stuff as mere setup for dwelling into the mindsets and the situation the Gods see themselves in the story will become more different than it ever did starting from here on out* - @Sonicravenx


	21. Heaven's Throne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Gods make their way to Heaven, and witness the first challenge that is thrown their way".

The Gods were sent higher up into The Spirit World Level 2 to Heaven. They arrived in a hilly grassland through the tetragram. As they come through the portal they were simply just looking around them taking in what they saw; beautiful landscapes, spirits of all shapes and sizes roaming around,  **Angels** in the sky flying into the skies. Off into the distance you see a gigantic structure towering over every structure around it- The  **Gates of Heaven** . Far off from them it was the means they needed to cross to get to the Elemental Council. As Midas looked onto what he saw, which looked like a giant palace resting alongside a giant mountain scaling upside it, he was quite confused as to what they needed to do to get there. Rune saw his puzzled look on his face.

“So… Isn’t Elemental Council suppose to be up there? Where is it?”, said Midas. Rune scoffed.

“Do you understand the nature of the Godplain Midas?”, said Rune. Midas shrugged his shoulders. To Midas, a lot of the technicalities about everything were insignificant to him so he didn’t bother to even understand the world around him.

“I just need to know what I need to complete what I’m doing for the moment. But, I guess I’m not really understanding what’s the difference between us and the other Gods if we exist in the same dimension”, said Midas.

“Well, I can admit it is a lot to grasp your head around, but it is something you should understand. It’s also smart to understand that with many things you need to throw a lot of logic out the window when proceeding higher up in the Godplain as there is a lot of it even Gods themselves don’t know. The Godplain itself was created by the highest Godlike figure  **Wonder** \- from what Father said. He shaped his own dimension which is Godplain”, said Rune. Suddenly, Maxwell chimed in.

“Think of the Godplain as a dimension, with many sub-dimensions layed on top of each other inside; how it’s like this I’m not sure myself… But it is how it is. The Spirit World is one of these sub-dimensions that is just divided in two two by terms of spiritual power. Level 2 is where the highest of spiritual energy, which is considered the penultimate force only below  **God Energy** , resides. Spiritual energy can only exist freely in special spaces which coincidentally accumulate within the Godplain and  **Afterlife** . However, God energy is superior so it rises, creating a divide between the two; similar to if you had water and oil in a cup how they would disperse. I think this property is so profound in terms of powers that it created separate dimensions between Gods and spirits, and those who inhabit each realm divided accordingly. The higher Gods exists ‘above’ The Spirit World in what is called  **The True Godplain** , but in reality it’s nothing different than the realm we already are in. That realm is where we need to get to, but it’s only reached- as far as we know, through Heaven which is essentially the gateway from The Spirit World to The True Godplain”, said Maxwell.

“But we reside here and we’re Gods… And, what’s the difference between The Spirit World and Afterlife if dead souls of The Human Plain go to each?”, said Midas. Baby however starts to get annoyed at Midas’ ignorance.

“Middy maybe you should just stick to being hot headed and not think. But, it is an interesting concept. We’ve never been to The Human Plain, but from my understanding souls need a vessel to keep going, and when they leave their initial bodies they naturally go to the Afterlife. I’ve also heard it has many different names, but that is the term many from The Human Plain will call it; I hear higher Gods might refer to it as  **The Ghostplain** ”, said Baby.

“It’s easy to think of it that weaker souls head to Afterlife, and prestigious ones head to The Spirit World; those that head to The Spirit World have a chance to live a ‘second life’ after heading through Heaven. At the base, those who are granted that perk become Godians; some become spirits. It’s also good to note not every Godian and spirit are created through this method- even back in earlier creation”, said Rune. Midas, hearing all this, seems pretty flooded with information.

“It’s not that uncommon to see Gods in The Spirit World, but from what I observe from Father he, and in turn us, are some of the only ones still here. This is probably due to his want to be ‘one’ with Godians, and thus spirits. If you consider Father to be the only true God amongst us it would be only him. The rest of the Gods are beyond that gate”, said Maxwell. As he said this they all looked towards the palace-like structure. Observing it, there is a giant staircase that leads into the clouds above. To get to it they must scale the mountain in the distance first.

“It should be noted that everything beyond this point are things we haven’t experienced. We’ve never had to travel to Heaven before, and all of our tasks from Father only were pertaining spirits and Godians alike. It’s crazy to say that we haven’t really met other Gods before”, said Dollars finally chiming in.

“ _ We _ used to be higher beings ourselves. Glorious enough to be turned into Gods. Potentially we might run into other beings like that to get an understanding of the journey we have taken”, said Noble.

“Other high spiritual energy-like Godians? That would be cool?”, said Baby unsure if this would be exciting or boring to them- who are Gods.

“I’m sure we will meet a lot of cool people, but can we go already?”, said Rifle bored of the conversating. He seems eager to get to Heaven already. The others agreed, and set out for a trek to the mountain. 

As they journeyed along they ran into many mysterious things locations and things, and got to explore more to Level 2 than they ever had before. According to the spirits who now guided them the mountain was called  **Heaven’s Throne** , and only the worthy ascended the  **Stairway to Heaven** . Souls that are lucky to pass into Godplain ascend a similar way into Heaven, which could be thought of as a more philosophical stairway in contrast to this physical one. They made their way up a path that wrapped itself around the mountain up into a higher place where smaller structures, humanoid spirits, and Godians even resided. It seems that the more refined beings resided the closest to Heaven. As they passed Gods they gave them puzzled looks; they were aware of the power that rested inside of them- some even recognized it, but they were vastly unfamiliar with them. What was certain is as they passed them the other beings knew their status superseded theirs, and stepped to the side as they walked up their path.

As they approached what seemed to be the base of the palace, and where the stairway started they could tell slowly but surely the plain they were in was changing. This is quite unique as Heaven is stated to reside in The Spirit World, but it almost is like a sub-dimension within a sub-dimension. It’s a crossroad where God and spirit energy intertwine like no other. This intrigues the Gods. However, as they approached the way up angels started to gather, and beings from around them watched. Suddenly, a mysterious figure appeared before them- suddenly coming out of nowhere walking down the stairway.

“Ah, so the vision was correct. It is about time you lot made it here”, said this mysterious figure. It was what looked like a man, with long green hair and fair skin, and was draped in white cloth with green accents. He had a faint halo, but all that spewed from him was a calming kind aura akin to Unite; Unite himself picked up on this as well. The mysterious man smiled as he walked closer, and while Midas, Rifle, Locker, and Rune had their guard up the rest seemed less tense.

“Are you… Life??”, said Dollars. The man laughed.

“Based on what I know you actually mean by those words no, but I am akin to he. For I am his son, but also a factor of he who acts upon his wishes for the wellbeing of life and humanity. Some call me  **Jesus** , others The Savior, but accurately, you may call me  **Life the Lord** . Surely throughout the universe I have a many names. I believe you are wanting to request a meeting with the Gods upstairs, and I’m here to see you arrive nice and well”, said Life the Lord. This surprised the Gods how he is aware of their purpose.

“But, how-”, said Dollars before Life cut him off.

“I am akin to a  **Seer** ; spirits who use their perception, intelligence, and properties to overlook reality as servants to Gods. It gives me the ability of foresight. I am however, the son of a God. So, needless to say-  _ I knew _ ”, said Life the Lord laughing a bit at the end.  Maxwell thought it was interesting he labels himself as a Seer despite also being a God . However, his place could be similar to theirs where they are slowly obtaining God energy and are only labeled mainly for technicality; Gods-in-training if you will. Midas however was still up in arms about him.

“ _ How _ much do you know of us?”, said Midas. His question annoyed Dollars, Restore, and Rune. 

“Midas don’t you know when to stop? He’s not out to get us… I hope”, said Rune. Life laughs.

“I know only as much as the fates allow. What I know is of a overflow of compassion, and determination to set a new standard in the way of life. This property flows within you all. And to that you have been guided to me. However, your journey will end here if you lack the tenacity and divinity to scale yourway to the holy land”, said Life the Lord. As he does he points to the stairway and continues, “For I am but the means for you to scale nice and well, but I cannot ensure your arrival there if you are not worthy. Those who request a seat with the Gods- even  _ Gods _ themselves- all must prove their worth. If you belong in Heaven, then there is nothing in my eyes keeping you from your goal, Gods”. Midas and the others akin to his mindset took this as a challenge; notably Rifle, Rune, Baby, and Mob. This was their first hurdle in getting to their goal, and this tested the very foundation of their being.

“Since you have foresight, can you foresee our fate and outcome? Is scaling this stairway even worth it?”, says Restore attempting to stay logical throughout all this mystery. Life the Lord ponders the thought, and then chuckles.

“Well… That would ruin the fun of ‘trying’ wouldn’t it? Haha. That would be the kiddish answer. But to give you a helpful response... It is only worth what you value the worth to be. If it’s not worth it then your fate was already set before you set foot on this mountainside. Seeing the fate of Gods- beings that have the power to change fate in their hands- is like threading the universe through the eye of a needle. Even if I had such power one learns quick to not tamper with the fabric of time, and let things play as it must. The seeds of your loins will bear fruit soon enough.”, said Life the Lord. Midas got confused upon hearing his answer and internally question his stance in correlation to their issue, and Maxwell believes he is suing tricky wording to distract from him truly revealing if he knows their fate- which he still could know but for some reason won’t tell them. But either way the Gods knew what they had to do, which was simply walk up the stairs; if they are worthy they will simply reach the top, but if not they will walk for eternity.

With all that beings said Life headed back up the stairs first, and instructed them to head up the stairs one at a time. This was so that each individual's souls can be tested. The pathway to Heaven will cloud up as they walk losing sight of your surroundings as they head higher and deeper into the palace. Their goal? The white light at the end of the tunnel. The palace itself specifically rose up into the sky, but the stairway lead somewhere else. Life also instructs them that if they lose sight of the other Gods around them once they reach beyond the white light then that means the Heavens are resisting your entry. At that point the journey will be unlike no other. Once you are in limbo, and in the process of resisting entry Life says he will no longer be willing or able to communicate with you, and that if you cannot fight out of it then your only option is to turn back, or risk losing oneself.

With that warning, the Gods walked up the stairs.

-CHAPTER END-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -12/3/18-   
> *Life The Lord, if you seek to make sense of how his character fits into normal Human Plain logic- which is our own history- , is the same character as Jesus Christ himself to humanoids in that dimension and not a being of the same namesake. Life The Lord (Jesus) also existed long before recorded history documents him. His appearance differing from the historical appearance of Jesus is due to magic. In terms of his conception in the eyes of Earth historia as a Seer and also a God it is within their realm of power to 'alter'.  
> This new perspective of him is to allude as to how much can be really going on while Humans rest in their simple lives* - @Sonicravenx.


	22. Stairway To Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Gods start their ways up the stairs to Heaven, and meet a test that becomes a challenge for choice Gods".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -1/1/2019-  
> *HAPPY NEW YEAR! Lets celebrate with a new chapter!*- @Sonicravenx

The Plutus Gods ascended the stairway in chronological order; they couldn't decide who should go first, and Midas was fighting hard to be first. Chronological order meant the order they were ‘conceived’, or created. The order, which goes from oldest to youngest, is this:

  1. Maxwell
  2. Unite
  3. Rifle
  4. Noble
  5. Baby
  6. Dollars
  7. Midas
  8. Mob
  9. Rune
  10. Locker
  11. Madonna
  12. Restore* 



* _ Restore and Maxwell somewhat debated on who should go first initially as Restore by technicality is the ‘youngest’ and ‘oldest’; in the sense he was the first planned, and was in the process of creation before Maxwell, but ended up being the the longest to conjugate due to his uniqueness to Father Plutus. By time he was done the last Plutus- Madonna, was created, so he is  _ _ referred as the youngest Plutus _ *

This idea was given to them by Life the Lord after seeing Dollars and Midas bicker over who should go. Dollars and Midas- being twins- their positions could easily be interchangeable; they base their age difference on their level of maturity and from what Father believes their conjugations were. However, since Midas really wanted to go first, and Dollars was tired of hearing him complain they simply did ‘Rock-Paper-Scissors’ to determine who was 6th, and who was 7th. In the end Dollars won, so he choose to go before Midas.

Maxwell through Baby each took their time walking up the stairs; leaving about a minute or so one after the other to give each other space as they feared someone would get light-headed and fall. By spacing eachother out the person behind could react better. This plan however didn’t really work in Restore’s favor, but Life assured him that angels were also at his side to aid in their safe ascend. The one that was the most light-headed as Baby, as he doesn’t move his actual body a lot- or  _ has _ to, because he usually can be inside Locker. This time he couldn’t depend on him and had only himself. As Baby went up Dollars prepared to walk up. It was just stairs… But to Dollars- for some reason- he could tell it was may more. He felt a welcoming presence as he began to walk up, and he could hear the angels singing around him- almost cheering him on. As he walked up the path- Mountainous structures on both sides of him ascending upwards- he saw the tunnel collide into a white life, and knew there would be more on the other side. He walked up, taking slight glances at Midas below, and carried on through the white light. Dollars worried greatly about only two people after him about their ability to enter; Midas, and Locker. Dollars believed Midas had selfish tendencies that the Gods might unfavor and cast him out of Heaven; if this happens Midas will definitely hold this against the Gods as he is stubborn. He worried about Locker because he wasn’t being guided by Baby, and questioned his decision making skills on his own; would he be worthy enough mentally this way? Despite how Dollars feels about any of the Gods he knew it is very important that each one makes it through to the end.

Midas made his way up fully confident he was going to make it, But Mob, Madonna, and Restore were clearly not. He walked up and noticeably angels would not go near him, and the air around him would gather. He made it past the white light, but they didn’t know what would happen. Seeing him pass Locker was less anxious as he made his way up, but he doubted himself hard. Madonna attempted to pep talk him as she believed his doubtfulness could be seen as unworthy to the Heavens. They all soon make their way up the stairs and passed the light. On the other side of the light was only clouds around them, and the stairway. They could see at the end was another palace looking structure in the sky. But as the Gods walked the clouds would move around them calmly and shower them with light. Life grinned at this happening. This was the process- if ones could make it this far- that tests the souls. If the soul is worthy the clouds carry the being to the gate of Heaven. If not, they keep you in limbo and disappear from others. As Maxwell looked behind him he started to notice three Gods disappear from view;  Midas, Locker, and Restore . Madonna was the most shocked of them all, as she could see Locker ahead of her and Restore behind her, and suddenly they started to fade away. It was as if they were enver there, but ultimately she decided to focus on herself and not their failure. Before any could react they all were engulfed in clouds of light.

“Hmm… I wonder what will become them…”, said Life the Lord as he dissipates into the light himself.

Locker soon realized that he was walking with no one around him. He suddenly could filled with emptiness and guilt of some unknown origin. He could hear a voice speaking to him.

_ “Why are you ashamed of yourself? Why do you depend on others and not yourself?” _

Locker did not know where this was coming from, but as he contemplated the words spoken he soon realized. Deep down he understand his bond with the Gods- including Baby- but he often feels like he is too different and too intellectual to have any real say with any of them. He only had the desire to protect their wishes. Locker values protecting what is precious to him, and he is very thankful for Baby being there for him. But, over time he has gotten accustomed to it- maybe  _ too _ much. He often lets Baby make decision for him as he feels he knows better than him, and Baby sometimes says this. Sometimes it is true. These thoughts all swarm Lockers head…

Restore, in a similar situation, is a bit surprised that he is in what he believes is a limbo. He realized it quickly. He doesn’t understand why however as he has no malice in his heart, and the idea to go to Heaven was  _ his _ idea. So why? All the sudden, he hears a voice.

“ _ Who are you to you? Why are you uncertain on what you believe needs to be saved? _ ”

Restore was shocked to hear this. But, as the words entered him it touched a place of insecurity within him, about his own identity. He didn’t understand why this was coming up. Restore was given arguably the most important role amongst his brethren- the role to stop them if any become unstoppable. Restore feels different, outcasted, and ultimately unsure and unimportant until the time is right. But, when is that time to come?  _ Should _ this time come? Why does it have to be like this? Sometimes Restore can’t enjoy company of the other Gods- or simply feels like he  _ shouldn’t _ enjoy time spent with them because he feels like he must always be able to defeat them. He cannot have an attachment to beings he has to oversee, so he places himself in role of brother and also father. This often angers Midas, and he knows it. Restore knows deep down he wants Midas to accept him, but Restore questions if he can accept himself. If he cannot do so how could all of Heaven?? These are thoughts that role through Restore’s head.

Midas walked and walked unsure of why his path went away in front of him, or why the angels stopped singing altogether. He felt as if little hands were pulling against them trying to get him to walk down the stairs. He attempted to ignore it because he knew he belonged there. He didn’t want to think for a second he didn’t belong, or that he isn't valid. So he walked faster, and then started to run. But, he felt like he was running in place. Suddenly, he heard a voice. 

“ _ When you obtain all that you can hold within your grasp of greed, will it all be worth it? _ ”

Midas felt taunted by those words, and thought Dollars was toying with him. But, as he screamed out for his brother to stop messing with him he didn’t respond. Midas soon realized it wasn’t him talking to him. But he took this as some challenge of his resolve and destiny. So Midas responded with a hearty “Yes”, and began to release his energy. Suddenly the voice responded to him.

“ _ There is doubt behind those words, and soot on your soul. Just a speck of light shined upon you is all one needs to see your eminent perilous future clearly. For now, You must reflect _ ”

As this was said Midas felt huge resistance now, this time it was really forcing him down the stairs. He could tell now they did not want him in Heaven, but he needed to prove to them he did the only way he knew how- power.

“Ha! The Gods, and the power that rests within me is for the greater good of life sought through my image. Countless other ludacris beings have came before me, and many will come after, but all share a common ideal; change. If you so much as think the power inside me cannot exact the change that could aid this whole fucking existence then I  _ dare _ you to force me out Gods!”, said Midas. However, the powers around him seemed to have heeded to his wishes and wanted to physically test him it seems upon his resolve. They understood the darkness within him, but darkness doesn’t have to be evil, and light doesn’t have to be good at the end of the day. As this struggle ensued Midas’ determination was made very clear- almost more clear than anyone else's. That was one thing the Heaven’s could not strip away from him, which was his vision of what he deemed valuable and wealthy to him, and his conviction to obtain it. Midas let off a huge power serge around him, and this was enough to be picked up on by choice beings around him; mainly Life the Lord, Father Plutus, and Dollars.

The rest of the Gods gathered at the Gates of Heaven. Life the Lord looked toward Dollars as he could tell he picked up at the energy as well. However, the Gods were worried as noticeably Locker, Restore, and Midas were not there yet, and Madonna had just finished.

“Do you think they will make it Dollars?”, asked Noble. Dollars had a concerned look on his face, but after awhile he lowered his head down and smirked.

“They’ll make it”, said Dollars raising his head out of sheer confidence. As this is said coming up the stairs comes  Restore and Locker- each looking a bit dazed like they been through it . But, still no Midas. A bit of time passed, and it wasn’t looking good. Life the Lord started to question it as well- as if he didn’t know what would happen. Mob took note of his appearance, but Life the Lord looked right at him. Life the Lord then chuckled and spoke.

“ I’ll tell you this Gods… I did have an inkling so to speak that someone wasn’t going to make it up these stairs… But it seems that fate was just changed right before my very eyes ”, said Life the Lord as he witnesses Midas climb the stairs to the gates last with a huge victorious grin on his face. Dollars and Midas locked eyes; ones that transpire between rivals whos ideals completely debunk the other. Dollars can tell whatever Midas went through to get here that whatever his ideals are they are more valid than he thought before. 

“Good job”, said Dollars. Midas, a bit shocked takes the comment with stride.

“Hmgh… If only you knew…”, said Midas. With that Life the Lord signalled to the angels to open the gates, and let the Gods finally proceed into Heaven.

-CHAPTER END-


	23. Heaven Couldn't Wait For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Finally at Heaven's doors the Gods finally get to explore a domain where Gods are the majority unlike anything they were accustomed to their entire lives."

The Plutus Gods finally set eyes on the holy land Heaven for the first time. The whole place is gold and white, and rests upon floating structures and clouds. There are gardens, waterways, temples, statues of Gods, and resting at the highest peak around them is a massive open cathedral. All around them within Heaven were souls moving from one space to another- seemingly coming out of thin air from portals trying to find a vessel. There was no Godians, however there were spirits of humans who have passed away migrating around trying to find purpose and solemn. The majority of beings around them were God-like beings. This was an interesting find for the Plutus Gods as they have never been around this many. They weren’t strong, nor did many have notoriety or influence, but they all had God energy. They all welcomed them with open arms even if they weren’t accustomed to who they were. Some Gods however recognized the power from within them as Plutus- their father’s. Life the Lord also makes this comment as he has sensed within them its presence before. At the moment, The Gods asked if Life has meet Father Plutus before, but Life ponders how to answer.

“Hmm.. Well I have not met him-  _ myself _ that is. But, I have met him in another existence. My father- Life, and me are in a sense the same being. Me as a being isn’t just the entity standing before you I also exist in other mediums. It’s not really essential to comprehend the difference but for the sake of understanding I recognized his energy whilst not actually meeting him”, said Life the Lord. This is also another reason he went to seek them out as he has ‘met’ them before- being the energy that rests inside all of them. The Plutus Gods had to come to terms that they really are Plutus, and that them and their father are one and the same.

“Would you want to meet the entity that has met you in times past, Plutus?”, said Life the Lord. Dollars and Midas feel a rush of excitement from his request. Meeting the ruler of Heaven is a feat like no other. But, at the same time they feel like it’s not unfamiliar; it’s a strange feeling indeed. The Plutus Gods look at each other to confirm their wishes, and Noble responded.

“Yes, we would be honored”, said Noble. Life the Lord was pleased.

“Great! I will go see to your request and summon an audience with father. In the meantime, please feel free and welcome to explore the  **Heaven’s Palace** . The angels should be more than welcome to guide you, and the Gods here will welcome you with open arms. I shall return to you in a moment. 

As Life the Lord leaves the angels gather around them, and guide them to a commonplace within the palace where Gods meet.  Madonna ended up finding a spa, and took Rune with her to get pampered like true Gods. Maxwell, Noble, and Restore became interested in going to their library to look at any artifacts and history. Locker, Baby, and Unite explored more of the palace, while Dollars, Midas, Rifle, and Mob stayed in the commonplace to interact with the Gods and Angels . They conversed, and complemented each other while the female angels and Gods look akin to their aesthetics. They persuaded the 4 to the spa where Madonna and Rune were going as well, and intended to pamper them with massages and food. Dollars thought this was a bit weird, but invigorating. Within the spa- which was called the “ 15 Spa ”- Midas greatly enjoyed been pampered, and ordered the angels around like they were his servants, and they happily obeyed. Rifle thought this was interesting as Gods were the common race, but he sees that the Gods that are within this palace are treated more superior to those outside, and some Gods of more notoriety get better treatment. Rifle had the assumption that Plutus was an unpopular God considering father doesn't interact with many Gods, however factoring in that Life has met Father Plutus before perhaps this gave them special treatment per request of Life the Lord. Rifle decided to untense himself, and allow these few moments to relax. 

As he did the angels unrobed him and taken off his bodysuit and revealed his chiseled body. Being one of the more physical Gods he had a great body which appeased the Angels.  This attracted female and male Angels and lesser Gods, however Rifle was content with either . Mob also enjoyed the treatment and quite enjoyed the sensual nature the female lesser Gods around him gave him. This was one of the few times the Gods could actually enjoy things on a more sexual nature. He ended up taking a liking to very attractive Angel and she lead him to a back room. The rest of the Gods knew exactly what was about to happen. Dollars, not really wanting to have sex decided after awhile he was going to get up and have a personal bath to himself. Midas thought this was lame that he wanted to go off by himself and thought he should enjoy the festivities while they last. Dollars thought he was somewhat right, and so he told Midas if he wanted to join him with his entourage when he was done he could. The angels around Midas did mention that the water within the bathe comes from a very special place that has revitalizing and rejuvenating properties and that he might enjoy that as well. Midas pondered for a bit and then scoffed, and told him to just go; internally however he kinda wanted to bathe as well as the warm water against his golden body would feel nice. Dollars left, and Midas and Rifle stayed to get pampered, while faintly in the background you heard sounds of ecstasy. 

A similar scenario is taking place with Madonna and Rune as well. Within the spa were assortment of things, as well as the number ‘15’ designed everywhere on the walls. Madonna didn’t really take notice, but Rune did. In the room were about 20 male Angels that surrounded Madonna; each tending to her every whim as she laughs in enjoyment by it; Combing her hair, filing her nails, massaging her shoulders and feet, rubbing on her body in a growing sensual manner. Rune is to her side simply just getting massaged by male Angels as well but she seems a bit off put by how much fun Madonna is having. Rune seems a bit envious as she can't let herself unwind like Madonna can. Madonna notices this and encourages her to just close her eyes and enjoy her time. Rune feels a bit nervous about taking her clothes off so she kept them all on as this happens- in comparison to Madonna who was allowing the male angels to undress her more and more until she was barely naked. 

Rune ultimately decided to unwind some more and undone some of her robes and let out her hair from her ponytail as female Angels combed her hair. Some of the male Angels subbed out as they went to place prepare the girls’ bath, and more women Angels came in. Madonna had her females instead sit around as she told some of the other male Angels to pamper them, which surprised even the Angels. Madonna didn’t want the girls serving her, and felt enjoyment in women towering over men. Rune however felt a bit different; she started to come more undone as the women massaged her. They were more tender to her, and Rune felt a more deeper connection between them. Before long all the women in the room were enjoying themselves, and Rune was allowing the women to touch her bare body opening herself to them. 

At the same time as this happens, in the library were Noble, Maxwell, and Restore as they enjoyed learning about other Gods of history, and the history of The Spirit World. Interestingly enough there wasn’t much info about The True Godplain, however through their searches they could tell that there definitely was more to the Godplain than they initially thought. It seems that once they pass into this dimension that things will be so different that those in The Spirit World don’t bother to even explain. Also, there is the fact that most don’t pass into the Godplain as it is 100% filled with Gods- specifically beings with substantial God-like energy or importance. Restore was researching info the most out of the group. He seemed very interested in finding something that the others weren’t really sure on. Noble went over to see what Restore was doing

“What are you trying to find, Restore?”, said Noble.

“Me? Oh, I’m just trying to find some more understanding- just genral stuff. I feel more of an importance to know as much as I can, so I can always make the best decisions. Don’t you feel the same, Plutus leader?”, said Restore.

“Hmm... I suppose yes I do. I… Don’t always know the best thing to do, but I know that if i don’t then lesser beings definitely will not. Even in my confusion I must face the problems head on with the best intentions. That’s what I’m striving for in leading that is”, said Noble. Restore thought about his words, and thought about the reasoning the Heavens allowed him ( _ and in turn Maxwell _ ) through with no problem, but he had an issue.   
  


“... Did the Heaven’s give you any problem proving your worth, Noble?”, said Restore.

“No. I was very scared to be honest about myself. I thought I wouldn’t be let through. But, I think the determining factor to me that made them think I was worthy was my determination- although, if Midas made it though I’m sure his determination is  _ way _ better than mine”, said Noble laughing at the end. Noble continued, “Don’t worry about it Restore. We are just as clueless as you on all this”, said Noble trying to cheer up Restore. 

“Thank you, Noble”, said Restore. Noble walked away trying to research more books, while Restore stayed still looking up info. Restore then thought to himself, “ _... But I don’t think you guys realize that I cannot afford to be clueless… _ ”. Maxwell looked on from the distance as this conversation is had.

Time passes, and Life the Lord calls for all the Plutus Gods to come back. They all assemble around, and currently were waiting on those who explored around; Locker, Baby, and Unite. Unite apologizes for their late arrival, but they were admiring the statues and structures around Heaven. Unite was interested geographically about everything, and he could feel faint energies even from the statues themselves of past lives. Baby was intrigued as well collecting useful data of the environment to use for experiments later. Locker also was pleased to see things around him, and how they differ from what he is used to. Life ultimately is pleased that all the Gods enjoyed themselves. The audience is ready for the Plutus Gods to meet Life; many other lesser Gods and Angels wanted to see the meeting as well as this was seen as some event that ‘Plutus was returning to Heaven’. This made the Gods ponder exactly why he left. Maxwell has been told its and pieces of what things used to be like prior to their creation, but Father has been very wise to keep them out the loop on some things. Maxwell took this meeting as learning the ‘truth’. 

Life the Lord guided them up the cathedral to the throne room where Life was. As they entered they all were mesmerized by the sight; a beautiful white ethereal being towering over them as he floats in the air. Life has giant white angel wings, and a huge halo. Many lesser halos floated around him, and Angel babies floated around him as well. Its spiritual and God energy is emitted was like no other; so strong, so elegant. So fearful, yet so welcoming.

“Plutus. How long has it been since our powers met?”, said Life. The Plutus Gods bow before Life as he says this. Life seems to have been awaiting them. Life the Lord could tell they had many questions for the God himself. Life the Lord cautioned them to know the power that stands before him, for Life is not the overseer of the universe and all things, but simply the vessel that guides life to another life, and maintains the balance of life and death respectfully.

Life details to them about the origins of Heaven to an extent, and how the  **Wonder God** ( _ Gods that are said to hold the God Wonder’s power within them _ )  **Pankayja** ,  **The Golden Goddess** chose Life to rule over the Heavens. With the natural processes of life and death commenced on a lesser spiritual level there was also formation of Gods akin, altogether beings started to form their own ideals. This bore Plutus, and his everlasting want to equify these opposing forces within our universe. Life had watched Plutus tirelessly for centuries attempt to unite people past prejudice and malice out of the sake of his own good heart. However, other Gods didn’t view his ideals the same. They looked down upon Plutus and his forgiving nature; they thought he was a joke to some extent. This was further pushes as Godians, and in her human started to take advantage of Gods and his own power. This time period was at a place where Gods and humans were not on the same page, and Plutus worked tireless to fix this. This was a bigger problem that superseded Plutus, but he didn’t give up for a very long time. Overtime, the strain of the powers of the universe made the Gods forsake The Human Plain, but this was in a time of  **Zeus** . This is when fear of Gods first started to bare fruit. 

Zeus himself scarred Plutus in a dispute and became blind after. However, this helped Plutus not be lead by prejudice. However, in history this ‘forsakenness’ happened twice; once then, and later after Plutus gave up. In between this time Plutus’s attempts were at its peak, and this lead Life to bear a child in his image- Life the Lord.  Life the Lord descended back down to The Human Plain and tried to restore faith , while Plutus aided the Godians. However, even after these attempts the malice of greed was something that couldn’t be defeated, and over time Plutus became tired; tired of the mistreatment of Gods to Godians, tired of the mindsets of beings who came from The Human Plain and are now higher beings in The Spirit World, tired of how Gods treated Plutus himself, and tired of how lesser beings treated each other. Life himself believes malice formed in Plutus’ heart and swayed what he deemed valuable. He became unable to complete his vision as reality wore him down. Over time, he seemingly morphed into the God that the Plutus disciples know and love.

Life sees the Plutus disciples as Plutus’ ‘last chance’ at saving his ideal. Life himself cannot ascertain whether Plutus’ wishes were sane or not, but knew they were important. Their last meeting was the time right before Plutus gave up and went into a slumber. But, Plutus had promised him that one day the value of Gods will be tested. Perhaps that time he spoke up ages ago is awaiting him. The Plutus Gods get a very clear perception of the journey Father Plutus took to get to where he was, and their opinions on him change greatly in most. This also solidifies the resolve some Gods had. Ultimately, Life hopes that this tale is more than enough as a token for their journey ahead. Midas attempted to question why Life himself cannot change this problem, however Life the Lord implores that the Gods must reshape their idea of what Gods can be or not be, and what Life is to the universe; he simply balances life and death-  nothing more. It’s a problem that even supersedes him. All he can do when souls approach his presence is guide them to their just destination. Their just destination to delve into their problem would be to head to the Elemental Council that supersedes Life ( _ literally, and figuratively _ ).

With that being said, and gaining the necessary information they would get out of Life the Gods make their goodbyes with Life thanking him for the shared wisdom and time, and with that Life the Lord shows them to the place beyond the Gates of Heaven that leads them out The Spirit World to the True Godplain.

-CHAPTER END-


End file.
